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Origin and history

The Château de Condat, located in Bouziès in the Lot department, finds its origins at the end of the Middle Ages in the form of a borie, a noble farm. In 1503, Antoine de Saint-Géry was the owner of the property during a feudal count. This initially modest domain evolves over the centuries in a more structured den, reflecting the social and architectural transformations of the era.

In the 17th century, the castle passed into the hands of the Balaguier family, before being acquired in 1776 by Pierre de Maleville. The latter, who became lord of Condat, Conduché and Bouziès in 1786, enlarged the estate by purchasing fiefs and surrounding lands. The map of Cassini, drawn in the 18th century, attests to the importance of the castle at this time, although its current structure dates mainly from the late 15th or early 16th century, with subsequent additions as a staircase with straight flights.

Architecturally, the castle consists of two perpendicular houses, suggesting a missing wing. Its facades retain characteristic elements, such as sills and crumbs windows, while a circular dovecote, covered with lauzes, bears witness to its past agricultural use. Ranked historic monument in 1987 for its facades, staircase and dovecote, the site mixes late medieval heritage and adaptations of modern times.

The historical sources mention a first written trace of the den as early as 1287, but it was from 1452, under Pierre Cornavi and then Antoine de Saint-Géry, that his seigneurial status became clear. The obliterated coat of arms above the staircase remind this local nobility, now erased by time. The castle, sometimes described as haunted, remains a symbol of Lotois rural heritage, between feudal memory and post-medieval transformations.

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