Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Cazouls-d'Hérault found its origins in the early 13th century as a Templar Commandery. In 1203, Guillaume de Rocozels, bishop of Béziers, gave to the Templar Commander of Pézenas the churches of Saint-Pierre de Cazouls and Saint-Véran d'Usclas, with their rights and dependencies. The parish then depended on the command of Pézenas, but a commander specific to Cazouls was mentioned after 1225. At the end of the 13th century, the house became a bailiff, attested during the trial of the order of the Temple, notably by the interrogation of his commander in Poitiers. After the dissolution of the Templars, the goods passed to the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem, and the parishes of Cazouls and Usclas became part of the Hospital Order of Pézenas.

The present building, which was profoundly renovated in the 15th, 17th and 18th centuries, preserves traces of its medieval past. The round tower at the northeast corner, partly basalt and crowned with mâchicoulis, could date back to the 14th–15th centuries. A corner turret suspended by a corbellation and a castral chapel with bell tower complete the whole. The modifications of the 17th–15th centuries include a west body in return for square, a terrace overlooking vaulted cellars, and a facade is redesigned. The partial enclosure, with its portillon and cannon trees, surrounds a park, vestige of the missing communes.

Ranked as a Historic Monument, the castle's protection evolved: the north façade with its tower, the large French ceiling hall, the chapel, and the remains of the wall d'enclosure were inscribed in 1979. An extension of the protection in 2011 includes the entire castle, its park and its fence. The building thus illustrates the transition between a Templar Fortress, a Hospitalry, and a seigneurial home of the Modern Times.

External links