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Origin and history

The castle of Clermont-Soubiran, located on the northern slopes of the Garonne valley in Clermont-Dessus (now Clermont-Soubiran), dominates the village from its highest point. Its origin dates back at least to the eleventh century, when it belonged to the Durfort family, the influential lords of Toulouse County. Bernard de Durfort, cited in 1091/1092, and his brother Guillaume were among the first certified owners, linked to the act of restitution of the church of Saint Martin-des-Puits in 1093. The seigneury, erected in Barony in 1208 and then in Marquisat in 1617, illustrates the strategic and symbolic importance of the site.

In the 13th century, Raimond-Bernard de Durfort and Arnaud de Durfort granted customs to the castle's vassals, while a tribute of 1263 explicitly mentioned the "Château de Clermont-Dessus". Local tradition required the lords of Clermont-Dessus to wear the bishop of Agen in his chair at his solemn entrance, alongside other nobles such as those of the Madaillan Fossat or Beauville. This practice reflects the prestige and feudal obligations associated with the seigneury, then transmitted by marriage alliances to the families of L-Isle-Jourdain (1270), Armagnac (1375), then Balsac d'Entragues (1463).

In the 15th-17th century, the Balsac d'Entraygues marked the history of the castle, renamed "Clermont d'Entraygues" after its acquisition by Robert de Balsac, Senechal d'Agenais. In 1617 Henri de Balsac, Count of Graville, obtained the erection in marquisat. The estate then passed to the Marchin through the marriage of Marie de Balsac with Jean-Gaspard-Ferdinand de Marchin (1651), then was sold in 1711 to Thomas de Gasquet due to the debts of the Marchin. After several transactions, including that of 1774 at Jean-Baptiste de Picot, the castle finally fell to the families of Lameth, Nicolaÿ, and then Laborie.

Architecturally, the castle rests on an ancient base, potentially prior to the 12th century, including a dungeon transformed into a stairwell and a vaulted guard room in the late 17th or early 18th century. In the 18th century, a set of three-level apartments was added to the south terrace. The site, which was listed as historical monuments in 1960, bears witness to nearly a millennium of feudal history, between seigneurial power, noble alliances and architectural adaptations.

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