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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Laxion, located in Corgnac-sur-l'Isle in Dordogne (New Aquitaine), has its origins in the 15th century, with architectural and archival traces dating back to 1322. The land of Laxion, originally possession of the Almaric family, is mentioned in notarial acts from the fourteenth century. Étienne Almaric was the first owner cited in 1322, followed by Bernard Almaric, who paid tribute to Laxion to Abbé de Brantôme in 1455, 1461 and 1481. Jean Almaric, lord of Laxion's landmark from 1484 to 1507, marked the transition to the Bardon family, then to the La Romagière in 1530, after the sale of the estate by the daughter of Jean Almaric, married to Eymard Bardon.

In the 16th century, the land of Laxion passed to the Chapt of Rastignac, a noble family perigordin. Antoine Chapt de Rastignac, the first lord of Laxion of this line, acquired the estate by his marriage in 1574 with Marguerite de Calvimont, widow of Gaston de La Romagière. He played a key role in protecting the region during the religious wars, preventing Protestant looting. His son, Peyrot Chapt de Rastignac, inherited the estate in 1599 and undertook important works, including the construction or renovation of the present castle, as evidenced by the dates engraved (1598 and 1602) on architectural elements. Peyrot obtained in 1600 the high, medium and low justice over the parish of Corgnac, thus consolidating his local power.

The seventeenth century saw the peak of the Chapt family from Rastignac to Laxion. François Chapt de Rastignac, nicknamed " brave Laxion" for his numerous duels, obtained in 1653 the erection of the land in marquisat by Louis XIV, as a reward for his services against the slingers. Despite frequent violent deaths in the family (duals, assassinations, massacres during the Revolution), the castle remained in their possession until the end of the 18th century. After the Revolution, it passed into the hands of the Grand de Bellussière families, then Curial, before being sold to several owners in the 20th century. Two fires (1997 and 2008) and periods of abandonment severely degraded the building, despite its inscription in Historical Monuments in 1946 and 2009.

On the architectural plane, the castle of Laxion consists of four houses surrounding an inner courtyard, connected by four towers of angle. The main façade, protected by a square tower and a drawbridge, features Renaissance elements, including skylights and an adorned north porch. The experts agree on a construction in several phases, with vaulted cellars dating from the 15th century and major developments in the 16th and 17th centuries. The interiors, once richly decorated (Lambris Grand Century, tapestries of the Gobelins), disappeared in the 20th century. Since 2008, an SCI has undertaken its restoration, awarded several times, to preserve and open it to the public.

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