Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saulou Castle was built in the early 16th century by a branch of the Gimel family, originally from Carlux. This monument, located in Cazoulès, Dordogne, reflects the desire of this line to settle in the region after a division of family property around 1525-1530. The original house, rectangular in shape, was reinforced by two round towers and a scauguette, characteristic of the defensive houses of the time.

In the 17th century, the house underwent significant expansions, including the addition of two bays to the west and a quadrangular pavilion to the northwest. The stables, built facing the south side at the beginning of the same century, complete the whole. The interiors retain remarkable decorative elements, such as 18th-century panelling and woodwork, as well as 17th-century chimneys, one of which has a painting depicting the stoning of Saint-Étienne.

In 1708 the castle passed into the hands of the Camon, a notable family of Sarlat, before being handed over in 1808 to its present owners. Ranked Historic Monument in 1996, the estate includes the house, its outbuildings, and the ground of the courtyard with its portal. These successive transformations illustrate the architectural and social evolution of a seigneurial residence in Périgord, from the 16th to the 18th century.

External links