Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of La Devie, also called Ladevie, has its origins in the 15th century on the town of Belmontet (Lot, ex-Midi-Pyrénées). After the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), Quercy, devastated and depopulated, saw its lords attract ploughers to revive agriculture. In 1444, Guillaume de Luzech gave the capmas de la Devia to Pierre Solacroup, a rouergat plower from Thérondels. The latter, father of 14 children, founded a dynasty that reached the nobility through strategic alliances, such as the marriage in 1700 of Françoise Solacroup with the heir of the Foissac de Bellegarde. The estate, initially agricultural, preserves medieval remains (undergrounds, silos, elevations) suggesting a former bishop's den destroyed during the Hundred Years War.

In the 18th century, the Solacroup family, now anobligated, modernized the home. In 1829 Marie-Jeanne-Paule Solacroup married Charles de Testas de Folmont, son of a noble man shot during the Revolution (1795), and brought him La Devie in dowry. Their son, Dieudonné de Testas de Folmont (1829-1882), gave the castle its present appearance: construction of the Pigeon Tower, extension of the wall of enclosure, and addition of annexes. The estate, marked by defensive elements (closed courtyard, shooting holes), combines agricultural (stables, oven) and residential functions. The interior decoration, redesigned in the 19th century, preserves some 18th century doors.

The older branch of the Solacroup died in 1861 with Marie-Jeanne-Paule, widow of Charles de Folmont, former Member of Parliament for the Lot (1827-1828). The castle then changed hands several times before being acquired in 1936 by the family of current owners (until 2019). Ranked historic monument in 1996 for its medieval remains and hybrid architecture, it embodies the evolution of a seigneurial estate in noble exploitation, between defensive heritage and agricultural vocation. Renovation works are undertaken after its acquisition in 2019.

The site presents a typical plan of the Quercy estates: a closed courtyard accessible by a single entrance under a Pigeon Tower, flanked by buildings pierced with shooting holes. The eastern outbuildings are home to medieval vestiges (undergrounds, stairs carved from the rock), while a second dovecoier-tour quadrangular dominates the northeastern cliff. The vaulted cellars, cellars and pantry, accessible from the kitchen, underline the autarchic vocation of the estate. The ancient occupation of the site, perhaps a borie (medieval agricultural estate), is attested by these troglodytic developments.

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