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Origin and history

The castle of Favols, located in the town of Bias in Lot-et-Garonne, has its origins from at least the 10th century, as evidenced by its looting by the Vikings in 911 when they climbed the Lot. Its Latin name Favolibus ("place de passage") suggests a role as a toll tower controlling a ford on the river, probably built by the Favols family, quoted in the tributes to the Count of Toulouse in 1259. The oldest parts of the present castle, a quadrilateral flanked by four towers (three of which remain), date from the late 13th or early 14th century.

Favols' family, weakened by the Hundred Years' War, abandoned the castle around 1430. He then passed into the hands of the Durforts, then was exchanged with the lord of Montratier in 1456. In the 16th century, the castle was modernized: a murmured cross was added to the house body, and it became property of Deshoms (or Des Homs) by marriage in 1526, then by purchase in 1540. This family preserved it until 1835, despite minor changes in the 18th century (drilling of bays, partial reconstruction of the west wing).

The castle, relatively spared during the Revolution, was returned to the Deshoms in 1795. Sold in 1835 to a merchant of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, the property changed hands in 1862 before being handed over by inheritance to the current owners. Ranked as a Historic Monument in 1981 (indoor courtyard) and then in 2015 (building and surroundings), it illustrates the evolution of a medieval fort house in seigneurial residence, marked by its strategic role on the Lot.

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