First mention of the castle 1805 (≈ 1805)
Historical document attesting its existence.
4e quart XVIIIe - 1er quart XIXe siècle
Construction period
Construction period 4e quart XVIIIe - 1er quart XIXe siècle (≈ 1925)
Revolutionary architectural style gascon.
11 septembre 1990
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 11 septembre 1990 (≈ 1990)
Protection of facades and interior decorations.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Façades and roofs of the castle and communes; Rotunda dining room, south lounge, east hall with its decor of panoramic wallpapers on the ground floor; stairwell; fireplace of one of the rooms on the first floor (cad. E 220, 222): registration by order of 11 September 1990
Key figures
Information non disponible - No key character identified
The source text does not mention any historical actors related to this 18th- to 19th-century castle.
Origin and history
The current Sainte-Mère castle, first mentioned in 1805, is representative of the post-revolutionary architecture of the Ghent Gascony. Built between the 4th quarter of the 18th century and the 1st quarter of the 19th century, it is distinguished by its elliptic and semi-elliptic interior spaces, such as the rotunda dining room and the large living room. These architectural choices bear witness to a marked aesthetic research, while the hand-made panoramic wallpapers, representing sheepfolds and rural landscapes, underline a concern for careful decoration, still partially visible today.
The monument retains traces of an ancient decoration, especially under recent wallpapers, revealing the importance attached to interior ornamentation. Ranked Historic Monument in 1990 for its facades, roofs, and interior elements (dining room, living room, stairwell, fireplace), it illustrates an architectural transition period in Occitanie. Its present state, although stripped of some elements after the Revolution, makes it possible to appreciate the alliance between gascon heritage and new stylistic influences.
Note a historical confusion with another castle of Sainte-Mère (Gers), built in the 13th century by Bishop Géraud II of Montlezun. The latter, a medieval "gascon" type, in ruins today, served as an episcopal residence in Lectoure and was classified in 1977. The two monuments, although sharing a similar name, belong to radically distinct epochs and contexts: one medieval and defensive (XIII century), the other residential and ornamental (XVIII-XIX centuries).
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