Château de Labastide dans le Lot

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Key figures

Origin and history

Labastide Castle, or Marsa Castle, is located in the commune of Beauregard, in the Lot department. Its history is closely related to the family of Marsa, the Knights of the Caylus Chestellenia mentioned from the thirteenth century in the Templar archives. In 1267 there was a conflict between this family and the Order of Templars, who accused the lord of Marsa of unduly perceiving tithes that returned to them. Alphonse de Poitiers, Count of Toulouse, sliced in favour of the Templars, forcing the Marsa, then modest knights, to submit. The square tower of the castle, located to the northeast, could go back to this troubled period.

In the 14th century, members of the family of Marsa became shields at the Papal Court of Avignon, illustrating their social ascent. After the Hundred Years' War, Jean de Marsa, faced with local demographic desolation, attracted new labourers around 1460 to repopulate his land, granting them access contracts. In 1504 Pierre de Marsa, although the owner of the castle, resided mainly in his fief of Saillac, as evidenced by a count of the ban and the rear-ban. The lineage of the Marsa gradually ceased, and in the seventeenth century the castle passed to Emmanuel de Lagardelle, a relative of the family.

The castle evolves architecturally over the centuries: the central building, probably built in the seventeenth century, connects two bodies of square houses and rests on a vaulted room in a cradle. The northeast tower, perhaps the 13th century, and the 15th century mâchicoulis on the southeast house recall its defensive past. Snake windows, French ceiling galleries and traces of wall paintings reflect its adaptation to residential uses. In 1786 Jean de Saint-Martin became its owner, marking the end of the Marsa era. Ranked a historic monument in 1979, the castle today embodies a rich Quercy heritage, mixing medieval and Renaissance history.

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