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Origin and history

Calamane Castle, located in the Lot department in Occitanie region, is an iconic monument dating back to the late 15th century. His first certified lords, the Berals (or Beraldy), were a powerful family of Cadurcian bankers. The seigneury passed in 1328 to the family of Durfort through the marriage of Delphine de Béraldy with Raymond de Durfort, native of the Agenese and faithful to the king of France. The latter left a legacy marked by changing alliances, notably with his grandson Raymond-Bernard, who fought for France, sometimes for England, sowing trouble in the region in the 15th century.

The current castle was built at the end of the 15th century, after a period of local conflict. In the 17th century, the seigneurie belonged to the family of Losse, with Jean-Cyrus de Losse paying tribute to Calamane in 1672. The 18th century saw the Laroche-Lamberts become owners, until the Revolution: Jean-Gaspard de Laroche-Lambert, guillotined in 1794 after having emigrated, saw his property confiscated and the towers of the castle damaged. However, his widow bought the estate back in 1796, before it was acquired in 1862 by Basile Albert, ancestor of the current owners.

Architecturally, the castle is distinguished by its rectangular plan flanked by two thick round towers, partially destroyed during the Revolution, and a Renaissance hexagonal tower with a spiral staircase. The vaulted cellars and traces of mâchicoulis recall its defensive past. Ranked a historic monument in 1929, it now embodies a heritage combining late Middle Ages and Renaissance, marked by seigneurial struggles and revolutionary upheavals.

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