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Château Lafont à Bagnères-de-Luchon en Haute-Garonne

Haute-Garonne

Château Lafont

    18 Allée d'Etigny
    31110 Bagnères-de-Luchon
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Château Lafont
Crédit photo : Daniel VILLAFRUELA. - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1800
1900
2000
1772
Construction of the castle
fin XVIIIe siècle
Change of ownership
1925
Acquisition by the municipality
2 mars 1927
Registration of the façade
8 juin 1931
Ramp classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Façade: registration by order of 2 March 1927; Rampe de l'escalade d'honneur : classification by order of 8 June 1931

Key figures

Marc François Bertrand de Lassus-Nestier - Subdelegate of the intendant of Montrejeau Sponsor and first owner of the castle.
Maréchal duc de Richelieu - Governor of Guyenne Brand host that motivated the construction.
Madame de Lassus-Nestier - Wife of subdelegate Initiator of the project for a dignified residence.
Académie Julien Sacaze - Occitan scholarly society Owner of museum collections since 1926.

Origin and history

The Château Lafont, also called Hotel Lassus-Nestier, was built in 1772 in Bagnères-de-Luchon on the orders of Baron Marc François Bertrand de Lassus-Nestier, subdelegate of the intendant of Montréjeau. Designed to welcome personalities such as Marshal Duke of Richelieu, Governor of Guyenne, the building reflects a sober style with imposing walls and an interior decorated with Louis XV woodwork. Its honorary staircase, typical of the upper Comminges, is a masterpiece of carpentry with a black and red lacquered wooden ramp.

In 1772 Marc de Lassus bought a plot of land on the driveways of Etigny to build this house, surrounded by gardens. Sold to the Lafont family at the end of the 18th century, it took its present name. In 1925, the town of Bagnères-de-Luchon acquired the castle with Mademoiselle Sapène, heiress of the Lafont-Lassalle, to install the collections of the Julien Sacaze Academy and the municipal casino. The redevelopment partially altered the layout of the bays.

Since 1926, the castle has housed the Museum of the Land of Luchon, dedicated to the preservation of the local heritage of the Hautes Vallées du Comminges. It also hosts the Julien Sacaze Academy, one of the oldest learned societies in Occitanie, as well as its library. The building, partially protected (listed in 1927, listed ramp in 1931), illustrates the civil architecture of the eighteenth century and its role in the cultural life of the Luchannais.

The honour staircase, spread over four levels, is distinguished by its thirty-two large, unique panels framed with uniform patterns. The handrail, decorated with palmettes, leads to a carved apple. This element, characteristic of the high Comminges carpenters, bears witness to the craftsmanship of the time. A sink stone, vestige of original developments, remains on the southern facade.

External links