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Origin and history

Féneyrols Castle, also known as Capduelh Castle, is a fortified building built between the 13th and 14th centuries in the town of Féneyrols, Tarn-et-Garonne. Attested in 1323 in a charter of customs, it was erected on the hillside, at the eastern end of the village, overlooking the Aveyron River. Its initial role was to protect the ford and the surrounding territory, as evidenced by its mâchicoulis made of wood with tuff, still visible on the northwest facade.

During the Hundred Years' War, the castle fell briefly to the English in 1362 before being taken over by the French forces in 1363. At that time, he belonged in indivision to Hélène and Hélix de Castelnau, the latter being the wife of Guillaume de Lafon, after the division of the property of Raymond de Castelnau in 1338. The site, described as a "great old and delabrated castle" in the 18th century by Antoine de Rous (who acquired it in 1763), preserves traces of his military past, with ditches, undergrounds and a spiral staircase leading to a dovecote who probably served as a watchtower.

The current architecture mixes medieval elements with later changes. The main building, arranged in semi-circle or in L, is accompanied by an old mill (rebuilt after a flood in 1930), an orangery, a vegetable garden and agricultural buildings. The north wing, destroyed by fire in the 19th century, was rebuilt between 1869 and 1890. The castle has been partially listed as historical monuments since 1951, for its facades and covers of the western buildings.

Historical sources also mention a 17th-century burrow describing 57 rooms spread over three levels in the north wing, illustrating the residential importance of the site. Despite the transformations, the castle retains its defensive character, with cellars and lower passages exploiting the elevations of the terrain. Its ancient name, Capduelh, recalls its medieval origin and its strategic role in the region.

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