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Origin and history

The castle of Cousserans, located in the eponymous hamlet south of Bélaye (Lot), is mentioned as early as 1284 under the name of "Cossaran" as a dependency of episcopal chestnut. At that time, knights in charge of the guard of Bélaye, like the Grézels, probably owned a strong house, built at the end of the thirteenth century. The site passed in 1389 to the del Castanhié by marriage, before being sold in 1472 to Pons Del Bosc, canon of Cahors, who began the construction of the present castle between 1472 and 1479 on the ruins of an existing tower.

The current structure, completed before 1504, combines a five-level rectangular house body flanked by a stair tower and a south wing. Its rounded corners and mâchicoulis reflect the defensive architecture of transition between the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The castle then changed hands several times: the Del Sorbie, the Durforts (circa 1635), the Mas de Paysac (1695), and the Gard de Cahors in 1732, the latter being royal officers based in Cahors.

In the 19th century, the castle was acquired by the family Lacoste de Fontenilles, then by the Roussy, who undertook in 1878 important restoration work to modernize its interior. Ranked Historic Monument in 1974 for its facades and roofs, it is successively owned by the Dejean families (from 1955) and Mougin (since 1980). His plan, inspired by the castles of Auvergne, includes vaulted rooms and French ceilings, reflecting his evolution between defensive function and seigneurial residence.

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