Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Lavercantière, located in the Lot in Occitanie, has its origins in the Middle Ages, although the current building was rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries. Since the tenth century, the seigneury belonged to the family of Gourdon, who paid tribute to the chapter of Cahors on several occasions, notably in 1302 and 1401. The medieval castle was taken by Richard Cœur de Lion in 1188, according to the writings of Guillaume de Lacoste. The seigneury passed to the Lagrange-Gourdon in 1528 by the marriage of Marquèse de Gourdon, the only heiress, with Michel de Lagrange, a branch from Rocamadour.

The reconstruction of the castle began in the 17th century under the impulse of Guyon de Lagrange-Gourdon, who in 1659 commissioned an interior staircase to the mason Pierre Francès. The initial project, in the form of a double T, was never completed: only one T wing was built, the west wing being added in the 18th century. The castle, which was listed as a historical monument in 1991, preserves medieval remains such as a door in arms and archeries, as well as traces of the buildings that once surrounded the courtyard, visible on the cadastre of 1810.

The Lagrange-Gourdon retained the seigneury until the Revolution. Among the notable characters, Jacques de La Grange-Gourdon was born there in 1755. The partially unfinished castle illustrates the architectural transitions between the Middle Ages and the modern era, while reflecting the feudal and seigneurial history of Quercy. The remnants of the outbuildings and the terrace planted with linden trees recall its original spatial organization.

External links