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Key figures

Origin and history

Caveirac Castle is a modern mansion built between the 17th and 18th centuries in Caveirac, in the Gard. Considered a 'small southern Versailles', it is distinguished by its refined architecture and its vast 35 hectare estate, which was built in 1699. Its history is marked by successive transformations, notably under the impetus of three family owners: Boisson, Sartre and Novy, who shaped it between 1653 and 1826.

The initial construction was launched in 1659 by Jacques Boisson, lord of Caveirac, on the basis of an ancient medieval residence acquired in 1653. Nîmes architect Jean Talard could be the author. Between 1697 and 1709 Pierre Sartre, receiver general of the gabelles du Languedoc, ordered an extension to Jacques Cubizol, a local builder. The castle then became a strategic place during the clashes between the royal troops of Louis XIV and the Camisards, led by Jean Cavalier, in the early eighteenth century.

In 1713 the Novy family acquired the castle and kept it until 1826. The estate, which regularly hosts the intendant of Languedoc Lamonion de Basville, is now largely owned by the city of Caveirac. Since 1998, the 1st floor office has been classified, while the rest of the castle, its communes and its garden are listed as historical monuments. A restoration campaign, launched in 2012, aims to preserve this emblematic heritage.

Since 2009, a recovery and restoration project has been initiated to mark the 350th anniversary of the castle. A health study and work was initiated in 2011, accompanied by a complete digitisation of the building and the production of historical documentaries. The city also requested a complete classification of the monument in 2011, highlighting its heritage and cultural importance.

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