Château les Bouysses à Mercuès dans le Lot

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château les Bouysses, located in Mercuès in the Lot, came into being in the 13th century when Raymond de Lard, lord of Rassiels, in 1232 offered his land "les Bouysses" to Guillemette, abbess of Leyme, to found a Cistercian priory. A dozen nuns settled there, but were expelled during the Hundred Years War before recovering the estate in 1600. They developed a vineyard producing cahors and in 1745 authorized the demolition of their chapel to build a cellar.

After becoming a national under the Revolution, the estate was given in 1791 to François Agar, mayor of Mercuès and wine dealer, who rebuilt the castle on the old cellars. Ruined by a fire in Paris, he sold it in 1823 to his cousin, Jean-Michel Agar, Count of Mosbourg, former finance minister of Joachim Murat. The latter, inspired by his travels to Italy, built a double-fly staircase, an Italian-style parron, an orangery (1820) and stables, giving the castle its present appearance.

In the 19th century, the estate passed to the Viscounts of Rougé, heirs to the Count of Mosbourg, and was acquired in 1933 by the Marre family. Dr. Pierre Marre revived agricultural activity in the 1970s with 14 ha of walnuts and 24 ha of vines (Malbec, Merlot, Tannat), before his death in 1993 stopped restoration projects. His children resumed work between 1996 and 2004, preserving the original materials and the spirit of the place.

The architecture of the castle combines 13th century vaulted cellars — remains of the Cistercian priory — with an Italian-inspired house built on these foundations. The main body, flanked by a square wing, houses a monumental staircase and outbuildings ( stables, orangery). The cellars in the middle hanger and medieval brick walls remain, while the crepie facades partially mask the ancient traces.

The wine estate, planted in 1973, now covers 24 hectares (19 ha of Auxerrois, 3 ha of Tannat, 2 ha of Merlot). Partially classified as historical monuments since 1989 (caves and staircases), the castle remains a private property, witnessing the transformation of a priory into a seigneurial residence and then a wine-growing operation.

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