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Key figures

Origin and history

Larnagol Castle, located in the eponymous village of the Lot, consists of two separate buildings: the "superior castle", a medieval vestige partially dated from the 11th to the 14th century, and the "lower castle", rebuilt between 1705 and the 1780s. The ruins of the primitive castle include a flat buttress tower and ancient masonries, while the new castle incorporates architectural elements of the 13th and 15th centuries, such as a square belfry and geminated bays.

Before 1624, the seigneury of Larnagol belonged to Charles de Cazilhac, Viscount, before being sold in 1638 to Pierre de Laporte, magistrate of Figeac. The latter, lieutenant-general of the senate floor, in 1667 owned two castles "very old and ruined", accompanied by seigneurial rights such as a common oven and a toll on the Lot. The Laporte family, which kept the seigneury until the Revolution, undertook a major transformation of the site: Jean de Laporte (grandson of Pierre) launched between 1705 and 1729 the construction of the "lower" castle, led by the mason François Fortier. The latter erects a monumental staircase and rearranges the primitive house.

The interior decoration, especially the Regency stuccos on the second floor, could be the work of Italian Marc Orsini. Étienne-Alexandre de Laporte, son of Jean, completed the work in the 1780s and acquired architectural elements of the Château de Saint-Sulpice to embellish the estate. In 1780 his daughter Paule married Étienne-Trophime de Seguin, Marquis de Reyniès, thus transmitting the castle to this family. After the Revolution, the estate changed hands several times: sold in 1840 to Louis-Victor Benech, it passed to the Sirand families, Bonhomme (1869), then Saint-Chamarand and Gimberge, before being acquired in 1924 by the Parisian ironmaker Raymond Subes.

In 1870, the "superior castle" was purchased by the commune to install the town hall and schools, while the "lower castle" remained a private property. The ensemble was listed as historical monuments in 2001. Medieval remains, such as foothills and geminied bays, coexist with classical additions, illustrating a rare architectural stratification. The archives also mention seigneurial rights related to the Lot, highlighting the strategic importance of the site.

Archaeological and historical sources, including the works of Valérie Rousset and Edmond Albe, confirm the age of the castrum and its evolution into a seigneurial residence. Local excavations and studies, such as those published in the Bulletin of the Lot Studies Society, specify the medieval organization of the site and its adaptation to the needs of successive noble families, from Cazilhac to Subes.

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