Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Margon, located in the eponymous village of L'Hérault, is an ancient barony attached directly to the kingdom of France from 1221, even before the integration of Languedoc. This particular status, maintained until the French Revolution, required the lord to pay tribute to the king for every new reign, while granting him the right of justice. This privilege is symbolized by the four lines of stone surrounding the castle, still visible today.

The original fortress, built in the 12th century, consists of a rectangular body flanked by three round towers and a scallop, with a main facade of 34 meters. In the 16th century, the Plantavit de la Pauze, and then the Le Moine from 1719, transformed the medieval castle into an elegant Renaissance residence: sled windows, round road adorned with gargoyles, and carved bestiarys replaced the defensive elements. Two lateral wings are added to the court of honor, although 19th century restorations used lower quality materials.

During the Revolution, the castle suffered major deterioration in 1793: the roofs in red tiles were destroyed, and the round road became unusable. The roofs, initially more pointed, are rebuilt in slate. Since 1981, annual restoration campaigns have gradually brought the monument back to life. Between 2013 and 2015, the two towers overlooking the garden were completely renovated. Inside, the large medieval rooms were divided into rooms in the 18th century, some still retaining their painted decorations (landscapes or portraits of queens).

The gardens, created in the seventeenth century by filling a valley bottom, extend over 1 hectare below the northwest facade. Classic French style with Italian influences, they are characterized by column cypresses, laurel-sauce topiary, laurel-rose aisles, and terraces leading to a water buffet. A vaulted passage, built in 1719 under the stairs, allows both public traffic (rue des Banastes) and private access between the castle and the gardens. Labelled "remarkable garden", they have been restored since the 1980s.

The castle of Margon remains today the property of the family Le Moine de Margon, descendant of the financiers who acquired it in 1719. Ranked partially in 2017 after a first inscription in 1937, it illustrates nearly nine centuries of history, mixing medieval military architecture, Renaissance elegance, and modern transformations.

Future

He received the label of "remarkable garden".

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