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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Castillon, located in Arengosse in the Landes, found its origins in the seventeenth century when Jean-Bertrand de Baffoigne acquired the seigneury in 1606. In 1625, with the architect Gratien de Lherm, he shaved the old feudal castle and began to build a new Louis XIII-style building. The seigneury then passed to the Poudenx by marriage in 1645, then remained in this family until the 19th century. The castle was the scene of a military episode in 1653, when the knight of Aubeterre seized it during the Fronde.

In the 19th century, the castle changed hands several times: sold in 1813 to Pierre Ismert, Baron of the Empire, it was seized in 1838 for debts. Baron Maurice Gérard, Member of Parliament for Calvados, acquired in 1886 and added a new wing. The estate remained in the Gérard family and then Dor de Lastours until 1996. The novel The Captain Fracasse by Théophile Gautier inspired his stay at the castle around 1838, describing his decline in the first chapter, "The castle of misery".

Ranked a historic monument in 1948 for its facades and roofs, the Château de Castillon combines sober architecture with half-bossage and French gardens. Its history reflects the political upheavals (Fronde, Revolution, Restoration) and the marital strategies of the noble families of the Landes, from the Baffonche to the Poudenx, to the Ismerts and Gérards. The site also retains a major literary trace, linked to Gautier's work.

The seigneury of Castillon, mentioned in 1494, passed through hands like those of Robin de Benquet or Paulin de Mongrand before its acquisition by Jean de Baffoigne, royal notary and then prosecutor of the king of Navarre. His son, Jean-Bertrand, centralized the estate and launched the current construction. The Poudenx family, including Henri I (camp Marshal) and Henri-François-Léonard (American Independence War Veterans), marks the history of the site until successive sales of the 19th century.

The west wing, called "new wing", was added in the 19th century by Baron Gérard, while the interiors were modernized. The castle, surrounded by gardens designed by landscaper André, is now owned by the descendants of the Lastours family. Its inscription in historical monuments underscores its heritage value, combining architectural heritage, noble memory and literary resonance.

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