Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Theobon was first mentioned in 1327 as the property of Gaubert de Mayrac, lord of the place. The seigneury remained in the Mayrac family until the 15th century, before passing to the Ségur then to the Pierre-Buffière by marriage alliances. The original castle, characterized by geminied windows and prismatic openings, bears witness to its medieval defensive role. Its remains include 14th century elements still visible today.

At the end of the 16th century, the estate was owned by the Rocheforts de Saint-Angel, a Protestant family engaged in the wars of Religion. Jean I of Rochefort, Baron of Théobon, actively participated in the Huguenot conflicts, notably in the defence of Castillon (1586) and in the countryside in Burgundy under the Marshal of Biron. His son, Charles II de Rochefort, Marquis de Théobon, played a key role during the Fronde in Guyenne, oscillating between rebellion and loyalty to the crown. In the 17th century, the castle was radically redesigned, losing its military character to become an aristocratic residence.

The Rochefort lineage marks the history of the castle through its alliances and conversions. Lydia of Rochefort-Théobon (1638–1808), daughter of John II, became bridesmaid of honour of Queen Marie-Thérèse before becoming the mistress of Louis XIV. His conversion to Catholicism in 1685, in the context of the revocation of the edict of Nantes, illustrates the religious tensions of the time. Protestant worship, formerly practiced in the enclosure, was prohibited in 1684. The castle then passed to the Talleyrand-Périgord by marriage in 1725, before being sold in 1783 to a captain of the regiment of Artois.

The French Revolution profoundly alters the castle: towers are razed, metals requisitioned, and parts abandoned in the 19th and 20th centuries. A remarkable fireplace, sold in 1924, now adorns a salon at Harvard University. The monument, inscribed in 1962, preserves traces of its transformations: staircase with ramp in ironwork of the seventeenth century, woodwork of the eighteenth, and mythological paintings (fall of Icare, Phaeton) on the ceilings.

Architecturally, the castle revolves around a rectangular courtyard, with a main house body to the south and two square wings. The entrance, once protected by a drawbridge, opens onto a central pavilion. The facade mixes medieval windows with classical openings, reflecting successive building campaigns. An elevated terrace offers an unobstructed view, a legacy of its strategic position on a pech.

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