Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Saint-Sulpice, located on a spur overlooking the Rivière Léde in La Sauvetat-sur-Lède (Lot-et-Garonne), consists of two houses arranged in T. The oldest part, oriented north-south, dates from the seventeenth century and includes an inner courtyard and a defensive tower. Its portal, dated 1621, bears witness to this initial period. This first building reflects a defensive architecture typical of the time, adapted to its strategic positioning.

At the beginning of the 19th century, a second house body was added perpendicular to the first, at its southern end, in a neo-classical style marked by a fronton forebody. The ground floor features studded scenery celebrating rural life, while the music salon pays tribute to the First Empire with motifs such as imperial eagle, a Napoleon mask and a reference to Aiglon. These elements illustrate the attachment of the family owner, La Borie, to this historic period.

The castle remained in the family La Borie from the 17th to the 20th century. Jean-François de La Borie (1760–43), seigneur of places and mayor of Villeneuve-sur-Lot from 1800 to 1813, embodies this link between the monument and local history. Married to Marie-Julie Josephus of Raffin, daughter of a Marquis, he symbolizes rural aristocracy attached to imperial values. The castle, inscribed in the historical monuments in 2007, thus retains a double memory: that of a transformed fortress and that of an imperial foyer.

The building now protects its house and cooler, all classified by order of 4 October 2007. Its hybrid architecture, mixing medieval heritage and neo-classical influences, makes it a rare witness to the social and political evolutions of the region, from the Great Century to the Empire.

External links