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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Noaillac, located in Penne-d'Agenais en Lot-et-Garonne, finds its origins at the end of the 12th or the beginning of the 13th century with a square Romanesque tower, still visible today inside the buildings. Although not mentioned in the 13th century archives, the site is associated with the family of Noaillac (or Noalhac), related to the Paga. This primitive limestone tower served as a defensive nucleus with its arches and its unique access through a gate in the middle of the last level.

In the 15th century, the castle became a co-seigneurie shared between the families of Bonal and Latour. In 1416, Arnaud Bayle owned it, and a vaulted room was added near the tower. The plurality of the coseigneurs at the beginning of the sixteenth century explains the construction of a second residence in the enclosure, as well as the expansion of the main house: a staircase tower with screws and a castral chapel (1530) complete this campaign. The works reflect the Renaissance influence, with organized drills and complex roofs.

In 1572 Antoine de Latour sold the castle to Antoine de Ladugie, whose daughter Catherine married Captain Huguenot Jean de Vivans in 1587. Under their auspices, the secondary residence is abandoned in favour of a new house incorporating the Romanesque tower, marked by exposed ceiling-shaped floors. The seigneury, erected as a marquisat in 1696, then passed into the hands of the Vivans and Jaucourt families. The cadastre of 1830 confirmed the absence of major modifications since the seventeenth century, thus preserving its medieval and Renaissance architecture.

Ranked Historic Monument in 1990, the castle retains defensive elements (reparts, square towers), outbuildings ( vaulted stables, dovecote in woodpan) and a chapel. Its strategic location on a pech overlooking the Boudouyssou valley suggests an ancient occupation, perhaps linked to a medieval settlement that disappeared. The 20th century restorations focused on carpentry and roofing, without altering the original structure.

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