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Origin and history

The Château de Gontaud-de-Nogaret has its origins in the seigneury of Gontaud, mentioned in the 13th century. Originally, this seigneury belonged to the Gontaut family, and was then divided among several co-seigneurs, including Pierre de Gontaut, mentioned in 1365 during a tribute to the Prince of Wales. However, in 1473, after the Hundred Years' War, a document attested that there was then "no castle or house for the lord" in Gontaud. The construction of the present building took place between 1473 and 1495, under the impulse of John III of Melet, who in 1495 obtained permission from King Charles VIII to buy the seigneury and to establish his residence there.

During the Wars of Religion, the castle was a strategic issue. On 13 July 1580, the city of Gontaud-de-Nogaret, occupied by Protestants, was taken over and looted by the royal Catholic army commanded by Marshal Gontaud. Only the castle, owned by the Catholic Baron Jean de Montferrand, was spared, becoming a refuge for the royal troops. The next day, the Catholic soldiers took a stand, while the local population was being massacred. This protective role was repeated in 1652, during the Fronde, when the castle, still owned by the Montferrands, was once again spared by the troops of the Marquis of Biron, by paying a ransom in grain.

After the Montferrands, the castle changed hands several times: acquired by the Luppe d'Arblade family in 1661, then by Timothy de Bacalan in 1694, who undertook the first known repairs. In the 18th century he passed to the Pellet, before being seized as national property in 1793 and sold to Marguerite Degalz, widow Martineau. The Martineau family kept it until 1914, when it was bought by Armand de Gontaut-Biron. Neglected in the 20th century, part of the castle collapsed in 1949. Since 1997, restoration work, led by architect Denis Boullanger, has helped rebuild half of the collapsed house body, giving the monument its original appearance. Joined historic monuments in 1958, it now bears witness to a heritage rich in twists and turns.

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