Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Cauzac came into being in the 13th century, originally belonging to the family of Thieuras (or Thoiras). This medieval fief, located on a rocky spur near Agen, becomes a strategic issue during the Wars of Religion. In the 16th century, the Thoiras family, including Balthazar de Thoiras, played an active role in the conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, illustrating as captain leaguer in Agenais. The castle was looted in 1595 by the Croquants of the Périgord after the betrayal of Balthazar against the city of Agen, causing its confiscation by Henry IV.

In the 17th century, the castle, left abandoned, passed into the hands of the Cugnac family through the marriage of Jeanne de Galard, then to Louis-Alain de Verduzan in 1680. The latter, heir by will, passed on the estate to his daughter Marie de Verduzan, who married Henry d'Aymar de Châteaurenard in 1723. The castle was then profoundly renovated in the 18th century, with refined interior decorations and structural modifications to make it habitable.

The French Revolution spared the castle, which remained in the family of Châteaurenard. In the 19th century, major works transformed the building: modified windows, lowered roof, and facilities for modern residential use. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1995, the castle of Cauzac today bears witness to eight centuries of history, between religious conflicts, family heritages and architectural adaptations.

The architecture of the castle reflects these successive periods: a robust medieval base, traces of the destructions of the sixteenth century, and classical elements added to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its park and communes, inscribed with the main body, complete a heritage complex representative of the Agenese nobility.

Among the notable figures, Balthazar de Thoiras embodies the leaguer commitment and the setbacks of treason, while the Châteaurenards ensure the sustainability of the estate until the contemporary era. The archives also mention links with Queen Marguerite de Valois, illustrating the integration of the castle into regional power networks.

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