Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Gachepouy, now in ruins, is a typical building of Gascon architecture, located on a circular motte at 175 m above sea level, overlooking the Auroue valley. Its name, derived from the Gachar Gascon (watch) and Pouy (height), reflects its original function as a surveillance post rather than a military fortress. Located between Lectoure and Miradoux, it marks a landmark for the pilgrims of the GR 65, on Via Podiensis leading to Santiago de Compostela.

An undetermined first castle precedes the present building, raised in the 14th century with limited defensive features: lack of external defences and hermetic ground floor. In the 16th century, buildings added mouths to fire, while an almost total reconstruction between 1579 and 1584, initiated by Anne d'Aydie (Baronne de Pordéac), transformed the castle into a residence. In 1584, the carpenter Gabriel Charles installed a roof in the fashion of France, four slopes, a local rarity.

The castle changed hands among the noble families: the Galards, Bassabat, La Balu, and then Bonnefond, before passing to the Coquet de Saint-Lary. In 1601, a tower housing a staircase (now disappeared) was built for Catherine des Fontaines d'Hebrail, using exceptional materials for the time, such as Mauvezin stones. Habited until the beginning of the 20th century, it was abandoned during the First World War and gradually deteriorated, its stones being used to encroach on neighbouring roads.

The current architecture reveals a central rectangular body flanked by two towers, one of which overlooks the hill. Traces of decoration remain, like a niche adorned with a shell, jacquarian symbol. The openings, reworked from the 16th century onwards, bear witness to a growing search for comfort. The site illustrates the evolution of gascon castles, between initial defensive function and residential adaptation.

The topography of the place, with its motte and altitude, makes it a characteristic example of Gascogne's watch castles. Its history also reflects local seigneurial dynamics, between family alliances and architectural modernizations inspired by northern France. Its decline in the twentieth century is part of the fate common to many rural buildings, victims of exodus and lack of maintenance.

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