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Origin and history

The Château de la Rauze, located in the commune of Bourg (département du Lot, region Occitanie), finds its origins in a family of gentleman glassmakers, the Columbus. The latter, having received the land of La Rauze des Cardaillac de Lacapelle, had a noble den there until the end of the 16th century. The present building, on the other hand, was built from the seventeenth century onwards, marking an architectural transition towards a style closer to the Renaissance, while preserving defensive elements such as murderers and cannons.

In the 17th century, the castle was acquired by a notary of Lacapelle-Marival, master Hug, whose descendants adopted the name "Hug de Larauze". The latter, from the French bourgeoisie, marked the history of the place until the Revolution. After this period, the castle passed into the hands of the Rochy family, merchants, before being registered as historical monuments on November 14, 1979. Today it consists of two L-shaped buildings, flanked by three square towers, and retains a tower dating back to the period of glassmakers.

The architecture of the castle reflects its evolution throughout the centuries: the facades, pierced by openings of the late 17th or early 18th century, harmonize with Renaissance-inspired roofs, adorned with carved pediments. The inner courtyard, closed by a creneled wall with cannons, recalls its defensive past. Only the tower is, with its vaulted room and its murderers, still bears witness to the original construction linked to the Columbus glassmakers.

The castle of the Rauze thus illustrates the social and architectural transformations of the Occitanie, from a medieval noble den to a bourgeois residence of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Its inscription as a historic monument in 1979 underlines its heritage importance, both for its history linked to glassmakers and the local bourgeoisie and for its hybrid architecture, mixing defensive heritage and Renaissance elegance.

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