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Origin and history

The castle of Meyragues, located in Castelnau-de-Montmiral in the Tarn, is a fortified Renaissance building built between the late 16th and 17th centuries. It replaces a 12th-century medieval castle and preserves traces of Roman occupation (pottery). The current building, rectangular in shape with three distinct corner towers (round, polygonal and corbelling), illustrates a two-phase construction: the western part, older, and the extension is with a monumental staircase and a pan-wood gallery.

The castle houses remarkable elements such as French painted ceilings (floral decorations, medallions, rinceaux), carved chimneys (a date of 1686) and a dovecote on pillars, typical of the agricultural estates of the period. The site, registered with the Historical Monuments in 1961, is also the seat of a wine estate in biodynamics since 1999, producing wines of the Gaillac appellation from historical grape varieties (mauzac, duras, braucol).

The history of the castle is linked to the Protestant family of Tonnac, owner for three centuries from 1590. Marc de Tonnac acquired the name Villeneuve, before his grandson Raymond renamed him Mayragues in the 17th century and added the eastern part of the house. The monumental fireplace of the large hall (1656) and the painted decorations (1681) bear witness to this period. Sold in 1873 after the ruin of Henri-Hyppolyte de Tonnac, the castle was saved in the 1980s by private owners who undertook its restoration.

Architecturally, the castle combines white stone and brick (scauguette), with a basket handle portal topped by a triangular pediment. Inside, the stone staircase serves rooms with adorned ceilings and historic fireplaces. The dovecote, built on four pillars with an anti-rat system, and the outbuildings (grange-table transformed into a cellar) complete the whole. Today, the castle offers guest rooms and visits, perpetuating its link with the wine and architectural heritage of Occitanie.

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