Construction of the castle 1818 (≈ 1818)
Neo-Palladian villa built by Delor de Masbou.
23 août 2001
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 23 août 2001 (≈ 2001)
Front, roof, decoration and park protection.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Fronts and roofs of the castle; on the ground floor: entrance hall, stairwell, dining room with painted ceiling in pumpkin decor; on the first floor: double alcove room; chateau park (cad. A 176): registration by order of 23 August 2001
Key figures
Marquis de Champreux d’Altenbourg - Sponsor
Landowner responsible for the construction.
Louis Delor de Masbou - Architect
Author of the plans, specialist of neo-classical.
Origin and history
The Château de Roquefoulet is a neo-Palladian villa built in 1818 under the Restoration, 3 km from the village of Montgeard (Haute-Garonne). Sponsored by the Marquis de Champreux d'Altenbourg, it is one of the last examples of "câteaux du wheat" in Lauragais, recreational residences built by landowners enriched by cereal cultivation in the 18th and 19th centuries. The architect Louis Delor de Masbou, also author of the dome of the Grave in Toulouse, signs the plans, mixing sobriety of ancient lines and references.
The building is distinguished by its rectangular plan with cubic central body, flanked by aligned low wings. The facade on courtyard staged a central span adorned with a serlian on the ground floor and a loggia on the upper floor, pattern taken from the castle of Pellepoix, another creation by Delor. On the garden side, a rotunda in forebody evokes Toulouse neo-classicism, as at the Château de Reynerie (1793). Inside, neo-pompian decorations and neo-classical carpentry reinforce ancient inspiration, while a park with rare essences surrounds the home.
Ranked a Historic Monument since August 23, 2001, the castle protects its facades, roofs, interior decorations (vestibule, staircase, dining room with pumpkin ceiling, alcove room) and its park. It differs from the Durand Hotel, called "Château de Montgeard", a Renaissance building located in the same municipality. A symbol of the Lao agricultural golden age, Roquefoulet bears witness to the discreet fascination of the post-revolutionary Earth elites.
