Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The primitive castle of Pouylebon, built in the 13th century, was completely demolished to allow the reconstruction of the present castle and the village church. Only the original 13th century door was preserved. This architectural vestige has marked defensive features: two pedestals bearing a stone vault in the middle of the hangar, a groove bearing the old herse, and a murderer above the vault. The door combines a broken bow on the outside side and a curved shape on the inside side, all topped by a four-sided cover.

The 13th century gate, the only protected element of the castle, was classified as a Historic Monument by order of 16 March 1940. It illustrates the medieval military architecture of the region, with details such as the herse groove and the murderer, designed to strengthen the defence of the building. Today, this vestige belongs to the commune of Pouylebon and constitutes a rare testimony of local history, although its exact location is judged to be of only a priori satisfactory precision (note 6/10).

The present castle, rebuilt with the materials of the primitive castle, and the adjacent church, bear witness to a common reuse of stones in the Middle Ages. This practice, common in Occitan villages, saved resources while modernizing infrastructure. The gate preserved, with its defensive elements, recalls the strategic role of castles in protecting the population and controlling the territory during the thirteenth century, a period marked by feudal conflicts and seigneurial rivalries in Gascogne.

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