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Origin and history

The castle of En Parayré, also known as the castle of En Garouste, is an ancient castle built in 1583 in Prades, Tarn. It was erected to control access to the valley between Saint-Paul-Cap-de-Joux and Puylaurens, and originally belonged to the Protestant consul Jehan Parairé, whose name he derives. Its original architecture combined a strong house, a square dungeon, a silo and a cistern.

During the Wars of Religion, the castle played a strategic role. In 1585, the future Henri IV, then Protestant captain, stopped there after an ambush near Saint-Paul-Cap-de-Joux before taking refuge at the Château de Magrin. The site was looted and destroyed, especially in 1628 during the Huguenot rebellions, before being restored in 1630. He then passed into the hands of influential families, such as the Clauzades, who saved him from ruin during the Revolution.

In the 17th century, the castle became the property of the Clauzade family, which expanded and preserved it. In 1686 Rose Dupuy de Lagalade, a chestnut, abjured Protestantism with his cousins. The estate escaped revolutionary confiscation thanks to a family legacy in 1791. In the 19th century, it was transformed into a farm by the Fourgassie family and then transmitted by alliance to the current owners Judge of Montespieu.

Architecturally, the castle consists of a body of rectangular houses flanked by two square towers, partially arased. Originally conceived as a strong house, it was profoundly modified to adopt an agricultural vocation, giving it its present aspect. Its location on a hill reinforces its historical defensive character.

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