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Origin and history

The castle of Blanquefort-sur-Briolance, located in Lot-et-Garonne on the border of the Périgord and the Agenais, appears in the texts from the thirteenth century. Before 1249, he was at the heart of a conflict between Gaucerand de Blanquefort, the castle's campaigners, and Huc I of Pujols, accused of his murder by the Count of Toulouse Raymond VII. The latter then confiscates the seigneury. In 1271 the castle was mentioned without naming its lord, but an investigation of 1287 revealed that it belonged to Huc II de Pujols, son of Huc I, and Bertrand de Fumel, co-teachers. Huc II, married to Antea de Fumel, inherits the entire castrum, formerly owned by Guillaume-Esclamar or Esquieu de Fumel.

In the 14th century, Huc de Pujols, lord of Blanquefort and captain of the castle of Sauveterre-la-Lémance, played a political role in supporting the king of France in Agenais. After the Treaty of Brétigny (1360), the Pujols settled in the Rouergue and adopted the name Roquefeuil by alliance. In 1463 Gaston de Gontaud, lord of Biron, lived in Blanquefort. From 1477, Bérenger de Roquefeuil, close to Louis XI, restored the castle abandoned for a century and launched the construction of the castle of Bonaguil. The site, originally composed of a dungeon and a square tower in the 13th century, was renovated with a round tower and southern buildings at the end of the 15th century.

In the 17th century, a north wing was added to transform the castle into a residence. In 1880, it became communal property and housed the Boys' School and the Town Hall until 1960. Sold to individuals, it was listed for historical monuments in 2008. Archaeological excavations revealed two distinct parts in the 13th century: the Pujols dungeon and the Fumel tower, which were assembled after 1287. The large round tower, built at the end of the 15th century by Bérenger de Roquefeuil, bears witness to the late modifications.

The castle occupies a barred spur overlooking the Briolance. Its medieval elements (donjon, porterie, towers of the 12th-XIIIth centuries) coexist with classical arrangements. The doorwork and home, dated from the end of the 13th century, were enlarged in the 15th century by the same craftsmen as those of Bonaguil. The whole, partially destroyed, preserves medieval and modern retaining walls, as well as an access ditch dug into the rock.

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