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Origin and history

The castle of Gavaudun is an ancient 13th century castle, now in ruins, located on a rocky spur overlooking the valley of the Lède, in the department of Lot-et-Garonne. Built between the 12th and 13th centuries, it controlled a strategic axis between the Périgord and the Agenese. Its unique access, a ladder in a vertical well dug into the rock, made it an almost impregnable fortress. The dungeon, 25 meters high and composed of five floors, was raised in the 14th century.

The castle was mentioned as early as 1160, when the bishop of Périgueux, John d'Assida, the siege to drive away robbers or heretics, before demolishing it. Shortly thereafter, he was quoted in the seizure of 1271 when he took royal power over the lands of the Count of Toulouse. During the Hundred Years' War, he played a key role in Franco-English conflicts, passing into the hands of families like the Baleinx, allies of the English, and then of the Durforts, supporters of the king of France.

In the 15th century, the seigneury of Gavaudun belonged to the Lustrac family, notably to Arnaud de Lustrac (known as Naudonnet), captain gascon fighting the English. The castle became a refuge for Marguerite de Lustrac, widow of the Marshal of Saint-André, then for Geoffroy de Vivans during the Wars of Religion. After complex inheritances, it passed into the hands of the d'Auray de Brie in the 17th century, then was sold in 1686 to the Belsunce family, which kept it until the Revolution.

In 1796, the castle, partially destroyed and sold as national property, was bought by the commune of Gavaudun. Only the dungeon, classified as a historical monument in 1862, remains today, bearing witness to its military and feudal past. The remains, including fine courtines and troglodytic access, recall its strategic role in regional history.

The site, a communal property, has been protected as historical monuments since 1862 for its tower and 1987 for the rest of the ruins. Its architecture reflects medieval defensive adaptations, with a dungeon covered with niches and an ingenious access system, typical of the gascon castles of the time.

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