Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Cavagnac finds its origins near a Roman villa named Villa Cavaniacus, attested as early as 868 in the archives of the Abbey of Beaulieu. The construction of the present castle began in the 12th century under the impetus of the Robert de Cavagnac family, which erected a high tower called "Romanesque" or "Sarasine". At that time, the seigneurs of Cavagnac came under the suzeraineté of the abbots of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, as evidenced by the tribute rendered by Guillaume-Robert de Cavagnac around 1180. The seigneury, shared with the Viscounts of Turenne, is part of a network of complex fidelities, including funeral rights to the abbey and fiefs held by the Priors of Friac.

In the 14th century, the seigneury gradually passed under the influence of the Viscounts of Turenne, notably after Rigald de Cavagnac took the oath to Guillaume-Roger de Beaufort (neve of Pope Clement VI) in 1351. In 1365 Bertrand de Cavagnac, lieutenant of the Viscount, played a key role in the region's submission to Charles V. The transition to the family of Guiscard was carried out at the end of the 14th century by the marriage of Bertrand de Guiscard with an heiress of Cavagnac. The Guiscards, originally from Gagnac, then held high justice in the Viscount and transformed the castle in the 16th century, before adding a body of monumental houses in the 18th century.

The French Revolution marks a violent turning point for the castle: attacked by villagers, its family coat of arms is hammered, traces still visible today. The men's lineage of the Guiscards was extinguished in 1790 with Jean-Pierre de Guiscard, Baron of Thédirac. The estate then passed to his sister, Marie-Madeleine de Guiscard, wife of the Marquis de Plas de Curemonte, whose descendants (branch of the Counts Desplaces) still owned it. The castle, inscribed in historical monuments in 2013, thus embodies nearly nine centuries of history, from feudal lords to railway engineers like Gustave Desplaces (1820–69), great-grandson of the Plas.

The architecture of the castle reflects this development: the 12th century Romanesque tower is next to a classic 18th century facade inspired by Parisian hotels. The site, occupied without interruption by the Guiscards for five centuries, also retains links with historical figures such as Marie-Angélique de Scorailles de Roussille (1661–1681), favorite of Louis XIV, from the house of the Plas. These successive strata make it a rare testimony of the Quercyn nobility, between feudal power, matrimonial alliances and adaptations to political upheavals.

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