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Origin and history

The castle of Basoues, located in Gers in the Occitanie region, has its origins in the fourteenth century with the construction of the massive dungeon (43 meters) by Archbishop Arnaud Aubert (neve of Pope Innocent VI) between 1370 and 1371. The construction accounts kept at the Vatican Archives reveal details about artisans, such as the stone tailor Pierre Joc and the carpenter Étienne de Pradères. This dungeon, classified as a Historical Monument in 1840, symbolizes the episcopal power in this bastide founded in the 13th century by the archbishops of Auch, owners of the lands around a Benedictine convent.

In the 17th century, Archbishop Henri de La Mothe-Houdancourt (1666–84) undertook the partial reconstruction of the castle, then in ruins. He added a house body to one floor between two turrets, against the existing dungeon. The remains of the medieval castle (exterior walls, south gate, well) are then integrated into this new structure. The coat of arms of the family of Lévis, archbishops in the 15th century, attests to earlier changes, notably under Jean de Lévis (1425–1462).

The site is part of a broader historical context: Bassoues, the gasconic bastide of the country of Astarac, was a strategic place on the Via Tolosane of the roads of Santiago de Compostela. Local legend links its origin to Saint Fris, nephew of Charles Martel, whose basilica (XI-15th centuries) and relics attracted pilgrims. The castle, with its 13th century hall and dungeon, illustrates the alliance between religious power (archdiocese of Auch) and military stakes, in an area marked by conflicts against Saracens and feudal rivalries.

The current remains — dungeon, walls of the castle, half-timbered hall — bear witness to six centuries of history, from medieval wars to architectural transformations of the Renaissance. The castle, registered with the Historical Monuments in 1943, is today communal property. Its hybrid architecture (defensive elements of the 14th century and Renaissance openings) reflects the political and cultural evolutions of Gascogne between the Middle Ages and the modern era.

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