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Origin and history

The castle of Lagarde, located in Ariège, finds its origins in the 11th century with the construction of a guard tower by Ramire I of Aragon. This strategic point in the north of the kingdom became an issue during the Albigois Crusade: in 1212, Philippe Auguste offered to Guy I of Lévis, lieutenant of Simon de Montfort, marking the beginning of the influence of this noble family of Île-de-France. The village of Lagarde emerged around this tower a century later.

In the 14th century, François de Lévis-Mirepoix erected a square castle flanked by four monumental towers on a rocky spur. Fortifications are adapted to military evolutions, with crenelated walls and murderers. The site, initially defensive, then reflects the increasing power of the Lévis, local lords linked to the crown of France.

The 15th to 16th centuries saw John V of Levis-Mirepoix, Seneschal of Carcassonne and adviser to Kings Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I, radically modernising the castle. It incorporates Renaissance elements (slide with screws surmounted by a dome in star, flamboyant Gothic chapel) while strengthening the defenses to resist artillery. A second low enclosure, flanked by round towers with casemates, is added, with a dammed earth rampart allowing razing shots.

In the 17th century, Louise de Roquelaure, widow of Alexander de Lévis-Mirepoix, transformed the castle into a "Pyrénées Petit Versailles". It adds four-metre Greco-Roman statues, French-style gardens, a Glaces gallery, and a cooler. The cannons are removed, and a third enclosure with terraces-promenades completes the transformation into a palace of pleasure. These beautifications, inspired by the Loire castles, make Lagarde an Occitan Baroque jewel.

The French Revolution marked a tragic turning point: the castle was looted in 1794, partially demolished and sold as a national good. His stones serve as a quarry, and the remains become warehouses or stables. Despite its ranking at the Historic Monuments in 1914, it fell into ruins in the 20th century, victim of theft (like the destruction of a section of tower in 1980). Since 1990, voluntary associations (including Per le Castel) have been working on its restoration, revealing the traces of its past.

Today, the site hosts events such as medieval gourmet markets and an annual gathering of reconstructors. The ruins retain remarkable elements: the star vault of the Renaissance staircase, the foundations of the baroque terraces, and the remains of the three successive enclosures. The archives saved by François-Gaston de Lévis (emigrated in 1789) and preserved in Ariège allow to reconstruct his history.

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