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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Saint-Hippolyte, located in Monestiés in the Tarn, has its origins in the fourteenth century, as evidenced by a 1313 will mentioning Mabelia de Najac, widow of Pons de Monestiés. The site, crossed by an ancient Roman way, was owned by the families Paulin de Monestiés and Mirabel, local co-teachers. Traces of reconstruction suggest damage suffered during the Hundred Years' War, while the Wars of Religion marked its history: in 1595 it was taken by Anne de Lévis, Duke of Ventadour, at the hands of Catholics.

In the 17th century, the seigneury passed by women's inheritance to Antoinette de Caraman, and then to Géraud Lebrun, a large collector whose fortune allowed his descendants to enter the Toulouse parliament. The Castelpers, allied by marriage, became lords in the 18th century but, living little on site, sold the castle in 1786 to Pierre Viala. Pilé in 1792, it was partially acquired in 1803 by Jean Cuq, a local innkeeper. Major transformations took place in the 17th (Lebrun era) and 19th centuries (Decazes era), softening its defensive aspect.

In 1837, Viscount Joseph Decazes, former Prefect of Albi, bought the estate and undertook major developments, including the removal of the cemetery adjacent to the chapel (now parish church). Sold in 1897 by Guy de Palaminy, the last descendant Decazes, the castle passed to Émile Falgueyrettes, merchant and political opponent of Jean Jaurès. Today, it belongs to a family SCI descendant of Falgueyrettes. Its architecture, surrounded by towers and equipped with a central courtyard, combines defensive elements (murder, cannon guns) and traces of restorations (modified windows).

The chapel, classified as a historical monument in 1927, and the facades/roofs of the castle (classified in 1999) testify to its evolution between medieval fortress, seigneurial residence and family heritage. The historic cemetery, moved in the 19th century, remains visible in the eastern prairie, though abandoned. The castle thus illustrates the architectural and social changes of a noble estate in Occitanie, from religious conflicts to the Industrial Revolution.

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