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Origin and history

The Château de la Bousquétarie, located in Lempaut in the Tarn, takes on its present appearance between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He then belonged to the Pauthe family, notaries in Puylaurens. Although few archives remain, his plan suggests that he replaces a first castle built at the end of the seventeenth century. Subsequent changes, especially in the 19th century, preserved its structure while enriching its ornamental details: pediments, carved balustrades and oculi added to the towers.

In 1835, the cadastral plan recorded 45 openings in the house, reflecting its fiscal importance through tax on doors and windows. In the 19th century, the estate remained the property of the Pauthe, of which Joseph Paute, a former pupil of the royal school of Sorèze, held it around 1925. The castle, transformed into a farm, preserves original interior elements such as cement tiles and tapestries of 1850. Its 7 hectare park includes outbuildings, including an old orangery and a sober chapel.

In the 20th century, the castle passed to the municipality of Lempaut in 2003, which allowed the cultural association of the Graulhetoian country to organize a historical spectacle in its park. Today, it belongs to the Salier family, probably the heiress of the Pauthe, and houses guest rooms. Architectural changes, such as the gallery added along the roof, date mainly from the second half of the 19th century, without altering its overall physiognomy.

The architecture of the castle combines classicism and symmetry: a three-storey rectangular house body, framed by two square towers, with a five-span facade. The central span, marked by a perron and a carved pediment, could carry the weapons of the Pauthe. The roofs mix tiles for the house and slates for the towers and annexes, while the interior preserves 19th century decorations.

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