First mention of the castle XIe siècle (≈ 1150)
Belonged to a family close to the Counts of Toulouse
XIIIe siècle
Fief Division
Fief Division XIIIe siècle (≈ 1350)
Become a co-seigneuria after sharing
1573
Protestant seat
Protestant seat 1573 (≈ 1573)
Likely partial destruction of the castle
XVIIe siècle (règne de Louis XIII)
Dismantling of the castle
Dismantling of the castle XVIIe siècle (règne de Louis XIII) (≈ 1750)
Royal Order under Louis XIII
1860
Addition of a statue
Addition of a statue 1860 (≈ 1860)
Virgin surmounting the west tower
1861–1894
Repurchase of ruins
Repurchase of ruins 1861–1894 (≈ 1878)
By Elzéar-Charles-Antoine de Sabran-Pontevès
15 septembre 2016
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 15 septembre 2016 (≈ 2016)
Total protection of the site and its surroundings
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
In total, the old castral church and the remains of the castle and its enclosures with the soil of their plots (see AZ 90, 93, 216) as well as the soil of neighbouring plots (see AZ 91, 94, 95, 169, 214, 215): inscription by order of 15 September 2016
Key figures
Elzéar-Charles-Antoine de Sabran-Pontevès - Owner of the ruins (11th century)
Acheta the castle between 1861 and 1894
Famille Nicolay - Former owner (before 1861)
Detain the castle until it is sold
Origin and history
The ancient Castral church of Sainte-Agathe and the remains of Sabran Castle, located in the eponymous village of Occitanie, date from the Middle Ages. Mentioned from the 11th century, the castle belonged to a family close to the Counts of Toulouse. Its history is marked by a division of the fief in the 13th century, transforming it into a co-seigneury, then by religious and political conflicts that altered its structure.
Assisted by Protestants in 1573, the castle was partially destroyed before being dismantled under Louis XIII. The ruins, acquired between 1861 and 1894 by Elzéar-Charles-Antoine de Sabran-Pontevès, retain remarkable elements: four castral towers (late XII–IIIth century), one surmounted in 1860 by a statue of the Virgin, and a chapel modified several times but keeping traces of its medieval plan. These remains illustrate the architectural and political evolution of a strategic site.
Together, including the church, the castle ruins and their enclosures, was inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 2016. The site, although partially in ruins, offers a tangible testimony of the seigneurial dynamics and the transformations undergone from the Middle Ages to the modern era. The location, noted as satisfactory a priori (level 6/10), allows to understand its insertion into the historical landscape of Sabran, in the Gard.
