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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.

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