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Origin and history

Malvignol Castle, located in Lautrec in the Tarn, has its origins in the 12th century with the seigneury of Malvignol, owned by the Matvinhol family, then by the Capriols in 1258. Vassals of the Viscounts of Lautrec, the latter preserve the domain until the 18th century. The present castle, built in the 16th century, replaces an old tower mentioned in 1516, and becomes a Catholic bastion during the Wars of Religion, integrating a defensive line between Vielmur and Soual to contain the Protestants of Castres.

Destroyed during conflicts, the castle was rebuilt in a less defensive Renaissance style in the 17th century. In the 18th century, he changed owners twice before being acquired in 1810 by Jean-Antoine de Bourdès and Julie-Sophie de La Panouse, who retained it until 1860. It was transformed into a farm until 1986 and was then bought and restored by its current owners. Its architecture, organised around a square courtyard, blends a body of classic houses, a semicircular tower and medieval remains in the cellars.

The castle illustrates three distinct periods of construction: between 1560 and 1600 for the south and west infrastructure, the end of the seventeenth century for the main house body, and the beginning of the nineteenth century for the south and west wing facade. Partly listed as historical monuments in 1988, it preserves protected elements such as a 16th century elliptical tower and a 17th century gate, as well as medieval archaeological remains.

Originally, the site was a force, a fortified community serving as a refuge for the population and protection for harvests against looters, especially during the Hundred Years War. The Capriols, a Catholic family, made it a symbol of resistance against Protestants during the Wars of Religion, before the estate became a more comfortable residence, then a farmhouse. Today, it combines historical heritage and contemporary usage.

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