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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The château du Fréchou is a 13th century building, first mentioned in 1259 as a castrum held by the family of Cazenove. Its two round towers, still visible today, date from this medieval period. The site illustrates Gascon defensive architecture, with a body of houses flanked by these towers, partially modified over the centuries.

In the 16th century, the castle was profoundly renovated by the Montpezat family. Alain de Montpezat, married in 1536 to Françoise de Gua, lady of the Fréchou, in inheritance before transmitting it to his son François. The latter, Baron of Laugnac and governor of the Agenas in 1569, added Renaissance elements: a pavilion with a ramp staircase, a west wing, and an entrance pavilion. These additions reflect the influence of the Italian style, then popular among the French aristocracy.

Ranked a historical monument in 1952 for its tower, the castle fell in ruins in the 20th century before being saved by Michel and Aline Taulet from the 1970s. Their restoration preserves medieval remains while integrating Italian and medieval gardens, created on ancient outbuildings. The site also includes an orangery (former stable), a tower-columbier and an uncertain medieval building.

The history of the Fréchou is marked by complex family successions, such as that of Jean de Montpezat, François's cousin, who died in Naples in 1558 without a direct heir. The castle, the centre of a seigneurial estate including Savignac and Saint-Julien, bears witness to the alliances and religious conflicts of the time, François de Montpezat favoring Catholicism in front of his Protestant nephew.

Architecturally, the castle combines medieval features (windows with spears pierced in the 15th century) and Renaissance. The last floor of the house, disappeared, was not rebuilt. Today's gardens, built at the end of the 20th century, transform the old courtyard into a Tuscan terrace and recreate a closed space inspired by the Middle Ages, highlighting the historic duality of the site.

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