Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Ardus was built in the 18th century by François Duval, Baron of Lamothe, on the banks of the Aveyron. This president of the Cour des Aides de la Généralité de Montauban erected a marina house consisting of a main house and two wings, with a column attic and a triangular pediment. The central living room, of rotunda shape, was decorated by Ingres father, while the dovecote, equipped with a garnish of varnished bricks, and orangery, located at the bottom of the park to the French, complete the architectural ensemble.

The Ardus site has a much older history, dating back to the 1st century BC, when the hamlet was linked to a Gallic fortified site on Pech Ségur. In the Middle Ages, the seigneury of Ardus, mentioned as early as 961 in the will of Raymond I, Count of Rouergue, was left to the abbey of Moissac. Medieval remains include an ancient dungeon surrounded by a dry ditch, as well as traces of the 16th century religious wars, which left local buildings in ruins.

In the 18th century, François Duval, in addition to building the castle, developed a local economic activity by founding a factory in 1737, which obtained the title of Royal Manufacture two years later. This castle, now privately owned, thus embodies both the medieval seigneurial heritage and the economic development of the Enlightenment in Quercy. Its classification as a Historic Monument in 1971 protects its facades, roofs and musical salon, testimonies of this prestigious past.

External links