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Origin and history

The castle of Nazelles was built at the end of the seventeenth century on the old fief of the Cauzé de Nazelle, a noble family of Guyenne. According to local tradition, his sponsor was Jean-Charles du Cauzé de Nazelle, lieutenant of the Marshals of France, known for having denounced in 1674 the conspiracy of the knight of Rohan. This character, married in 1654 to Jeanne-Antoinette de La Brunetière, belonged to an anoblie lineage whose title as Marquis was officially recognized in 1753 by Louis XV for Louis-Charles-Victor du Cauze de Nazelle.

The architecture of the castle reflects the cannons of the late seventeenth century, with a body of houses flanked by pavilions and a sober decor. The vestibule preserves arches in the middle of the hanger rhythmic by Corinthian pilasters, while the front door, framed by doric pilasters, was initially surmounted by a circular pediment. In the 19th century, changes were made, such as the addition of the southern common in 1825 and the presence of a square dovecote on arcades, vestige of seigneurial outbuildings.

The estate also includes traces of an old French garden, marked by a circular basin, as well as two brick bridges spanning a creek. In the 20th century, the castle entered the Debat-Ponsan family: Jeanne Debat-Ponsan, daughter of the painter Edward Debat-Ponsan and sister of the architect Jacques Debat-Ponsan, inherited it before his death in 1929. The site, partially listed as historical monuments in 1997, includes the facades, the dovecote, and a large driveway bordered by the pillars of the old gates.

Historical sources also mention a link with Castelvieilh Castle, near Feugarolles, by the marriage of 1654 between Jean-Charles du Cauze de Nazelle and Jeanne-Antoinette de La Brunetière. This family network illustrates the local anchoring of this province nobility, between Guyenne and Agenais, before the architectural transformations of the 18th and 19th centuries.

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