Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Castle of Cabrerets, located in the Lot in Occitanie department, finds its origins in the 13th century with a first fortress belonging to the families Barasc then Cardaillac. The present building, rebuilt in the early sixteenth century by the Gontaut family, local lords, is organized around a central courtyard. It features two wings flanked by round towers, including a stair tower at the corner, and a terraced garden to the south. The construction, which had not been completed due to the Wars of Religion, was continued in the 17th century with the addition of a baluster terrace and a keg frame.

In the 16th century, the castle belonged to the powerful family of Gontaut, including Charles de Gontaut-Biron, Marshal-duc and close to Henry IV, before becoming a symbol of betrayal after his conspiracy against the king. In the 18th century, the Gontaut deserted Quercy for their Biron estate in Dordogne. During the French Revolution, the castle was confiscated as a national property: Armand-Louis de Gontaut-Biron, last seigneur, and his wife Amélie were guillotined in 1793-1794. The estate, fragmented, was sold and gradually bought by the heirs of Joachim Murat, king of Naples, from 1850. The latter undertake its restoration, while preserving defensive elements such as troglodytic cellars and firemouths.

Ranked a historic monument in 1996, the castle preserves traces of its many construction campaigns: ground windows of the 15th to 16th centuries, monumental chimneys, and 17th century canvases illustrating hunting scenes. The 2009 dendrochronological analyses confirm a first phase of construction between 1507 and 1515, linked to Raymond de Gontaut's marriage with Françoise de Bonnafous. The west wing, partially unfinished, shows pending stones showing aborted projects. Piled during the Revolution, the castle will even house a museum of prehistory from 1934 to 1964 before being passed on to the Sahut d'Izarn family, descendant of the Murat.

The architecture of the castle reflects its evolution: the south tower, the junction point of the V-wings, dominates the rocky escarpment, while the northwest tower houses a staircase in the thickness of the walls. The facades combine 16th-century appliances (windows with mouldings) and baroque additions (balluster terrace). The site, originally preceded by a walled courtyard now extinct, illustrates the transition between medieval castle and pleasure residence. The terraced gardens, adorned with carved boxwoods and wooded floors, complete this complex of military history, political intrigues and family heritage.

The Murat family, linked to the Napoleonic epic, played a key role in safeguarding the castle in the 19th century. Joachim Murat, Napoleon I's brother-in-law, plans to offer the estate to his brother André, but the project fails. His descendants, including Count Murat (MP of the Lot), bought and restored the dilapidated parts, such as the tower of Marcenac rebuilt in 1994-1997. Today, privately owned, the castle perpetuates the memory of the Gontaut-Biron, the Murat, and the artisans who shaped this witness of the wars of Religion, the Quercy Renaissance, and revolutionary upheavals.

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