Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Magrin, perched at 330 meters above the valley of the Agout (Tarn), occupies a site potentially Gallic, Roman and then wisigoth. His first written mention dates from August 7, 1224, during the Albigeian Crusade, when he was dependent on the seigneury of Puylaurens. Unlike other Cathar fortresses, his role in the rebellion against Simon de Montfort remains hypothetical, although undergrounds and a legend of "Cathare treasure" are associated. In 1279 he moved to the Brenguier family of Puylaurens.

During the Hundred Years War, the castle served as a base for roadmen looting the area. In the 16th century, the Corneilhan family, converted to Protestantism, cultivated pastel, a major economic resource. In 1585, Gaspard de Corneilhan protected Henri de Navarre (future Henri IV) there during an ambush, an act that earned the castle royal protection for the pastel industry, via the prohibition of competing indigo.

Partly burned during the Revolution, the castle was sold as a national property before being restored in the 20th century. In 1971, Mr Rufino turned it into a Pastel Museum, now closed. Its architecture combines a medieval part (X century dungeon, ramparts) and a Renaissance body (column door, door to door windows), typical of Toulouse pastel hotels. The pastel dryer, a rare example intact, and an animal traction mill ("blood mill") bear witness to its industrial history.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1979, the castle also houses wisigoth remains and a supposed oppidum. Its gardens preserve pastel and d Today on sale, there remains a symbol of the Pastel Route in Occitanie.

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