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Origin and history

The Château de Mourvilles-Basses is a seigneurial residence dating back to the 4th quarter of the 16th century, with major extensions in the early 18th century and interior redevelopments in the 1st quarter of the 19th century. It illustrates the architectural evolution of Toulouse country houses, moving from a defensive building of the Wars of Religion to an aristocratic residence. The original building, characterized by square towers in pink brick, was enlarged around 1700, then transformed by Count Joseph de Villèle, minister under the Restoration, who added a neo-Gothic chapel and communes.

The family of Villèle, lords of the place since 1306, deeply marked the history of the castle and the village. In the 19th century, Louis François Joseph de Villèle modernized local agriculture (artificial pastures, merino sheep), while his son, Joseph de Villèle — mayor of Toulouse, MP, and then president of the Council under Charles X — now resides in the castral chapel. The castle, left abandoned as a wheat attic for a century, was restored in the 20th century and classified as Historic Monument in 2001 for its facades, roofs, commons, and chapel.

Architecturally, the castle has a stylistic duality: the north facade, of Louis XIV style, contrasts with the older south facade, decorated with primitive darc keys. The park of 40 hectares, on a gentle slope towards the valley of the Marcaissonne, and the communes complete this whole. The chapel, built in 1890 by Countess Geneviève de Villèle, houses stained glass windows with family arms and an unfinished bell tower, reflecting the artistic and religious ambitions of its sponsors.

The site is part of Lauragais, a historical region linked to pastel culture and nicknamed "Languedoc wheat attic". The castle, symbol of seigneurial power and then of the royalist reconquest, reflects the economic and political changes of the Haute-Garonne, between Ancien Régime and Restoration. Its inscription in the Historical Monuments highlights its role in the Occitan rural heritage.

Today, the castle of Mourvilles-Basses remains a testimony to the strategies of adapting local elites, between medieval heritage and agricultural innovations. Its history is confused with that of an influential family, the Villèles, whose social ascent—from the Toulouse seigneury to the highest state office—is read in its walls and archives.

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