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Origin and history

Ferrières Castle, located in Sérignac in the Lot, is a 4th quarter of the 18th century building built on the foundations of an ancient medieval castle. Its construction, initiated in 1775 by Vincent-Sylvestre de Timbrune, Count of Valencia and Marshal de camp, was interrupted by the French Revolution in 1789. The project was intended to replace an old den, but the work ceased after the death of its sponsor in 1795, leaving the castle unfinished and partially abandoned.

Prior to the 18th century, the seigneury of Ferrières had belonged to the Ramond family since 1464, when Pierre Ramond de Folmont, Sénéchal d'Agenais et de Quercy, acquired it. The fief changed hands in 1646, passing to Sylvestre Dubruelh, the king's lieutenant at Perpignan, who raised him to the rank of marquisat. His daughter, Anne Dubruelh, married Lovey de Timbrune, Marquis de Valence, whose line of land was still preserved when the new castle was built.

After the Revolution, the castle, seized as demigrated property, was recovered by Jean-Baptiste Cyrus de Timbrune, son of the Count of Valencia and general of the armies of the Republic. Despite his return from exile and his appointment as a senator under the Empire, he did not resume work. The castle, in poor condition, was finally sold in 1834 by the general's heirs to Pierre Monmayou, the brother-in-law of Marshal Bessières. Two restoration campaigns took place, the first until 1891, and the second after 1918.

Architecturally, the castle blends classical elements of the 18th century — ordered facades, an ionic salon, Louis XV chimneys — with medieval remains, like two towers remaining at the northern corners of the courtyard. The facades and roofs, protected since 1960, bear witness to this historical duality between an ambitious aborted project and a reinvested medieval heritage.

The site, now classified as a historical monument, illustrates the transitions between the Ancient Regime and the contemporary era, marked by political hazards and family recompositions. Its history also reflects the local dynamics of Quercy, between Earth nobility, military commitments and architectural heritage.

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