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Origin and history

The so-called castle of Richard the Lion Heart, located in Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave in the Tarn-et-Garonne, is mentioned for the first time in a charter of 1135. Originally, it was built by the monks of Moissac Abbey on a strategic site, overlooking the confluence of the Garonne and Tarn. This place, contested by the Viscounts of Lomagne, became a rescue in 1135, offering freedom and protection to its inhabitants under the joint authority of Abbé Guillaume, Viscount Saxetus of Lomagne and Viscount Sybille d'Auvillar. An additional charter guarantees the protection of the village and its castle against invaders, consolidating its defensive and commercial role with an active river port.

Around 1185, King Richard the Lion's Heart of England, during his campaign in Quercy, would have stayed in this castle and had the tower of the English erected there, a front tower strengthening the defenses. Fr Bertrand de Montaigu (1260-1295) completed the building of the castle in the 13th century, adding the west wing and two square towers of 25 and 28 meters high. The village, surrounded by ramparts (now disappeared), is then organised around a central square, with a rectangular plane of 440 meters by 200, crossed by a main axis.

Over the centuries, the castle underwent major changes. A tower was destroyed in 1648, and in 1849 a southern part of the castle (including a tower and a building body) was demolished to adapt the premises to a gendarmerie barracks. The remaining facades and roofs were listed in the Historical Monuments in 1978. Today, the castle houses the town hall of Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave, preserving defensive elements of the 13th century, like the east wing and its d'angle towers, despite subsequent modifications that altered its original appearance.

The site is also linked to local historical figures, such as Aymeric de Peyrac, who wrote his Chronicle of Moissac in the 14th century. The legend of Richard Cœur de Lion, although not attested by contemporary sources, persists in the oral tradition, combining the castle with the time of Anglo-French conflicts in Aquitaine. Its architecture thus blends medieval heritage, Renaissance adaptations and modifications of the 19th century, reflecting its evolution from monastic fortress to administrative building.

The commune of Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave, located at a crossroads between Gascogne, Guyenne and Quercy, draws part of its identity from this castle. Its history is also marked by its river port, now disappeared with the withdrawal of the waters of the Garonne, and by its role of rescue, model of medieval urban organization under ecclesiastical protection. The remains of the castle, integrated into the urban fabric, recall this period when monks, vicomtes and kings fought for influence on this strategic territory.

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