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Key figures

Origin and history

Grandval Castle, located in Teillet in Tarn (Occitanie), was built in the middle of the 15th century by Bernard de Caudière for the Viscounts of Paulin. This medieval castle, located in a valley near the Dadou River, was profoundly renovated in the 18th century by Jean Bernard, then by General de Frégeville, who made it an aristocratic residence marked by its military and political history.

In June 1944, during World War II, the castle housed a group of resistance fighters. On 21 June 1944, the Germans, led by Lieutenant Fritcher, burned down in retaliation. The owner, Henry Cassan, benefited from post-war damage to rebuild a modest house nearby, while works like an 18th century painting were saved by the family.

Ten years later, in 1954, the castle — already in ruins — was partially submerged by the creation of the Razisse dam, also drowning its outbuildings and the Cassan house. Today, its remains reappear during the low waters of the dam, recalling its tormented past between nobility, resistance and enforced disappearance.

The site maintains a strong local memory, illustrated by archives such as that of journalist Élisabeth Gasguel (1953), who collected the testimonies of the Cassan-Arnould family. Two military figures were associated: Henri de Frégeville (1748–1805), general and legislator, and his nephew Charles de Frégeville (1762–1841), general of the First Empire and great officer of the Legion of Honour.

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