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Origin and history

The castle of Saint-Hippolyte, located on a site frequented since Antiquity (a Roman way crossed it), is attested in writing from 1313 via the will of Mabelia de Najac, widow of Pons de Monestiés. This document marks the first mention of the castle, then possession of the local lords. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, the seigneury passed into the hands of the families Paulin de Monestiés and Mirabel, co-teachers of Monestiés. The castle suffered damage during the Hundred Years War, then was besieged and taken in 1595 by Anne de Lévis, Duke of Ventadour, during the wars of religion. These conflicts mark its defensive history, as evidenced by the still visible murderers and gunners.

In the 17th century, the seigneury belonged to Antoinette de Caraman, whose son-in-law, Géraud Lebrun (revealer of enriched sizes), gave the family access to the Toulouse parliamentary offices. Its descendants, allied with local elites, transformed the castle in the 17th century to make it less austere. In the 18th century, the Castelpers, the last lords before the Revolution, made it an occasional residence. Sold in 1786 to Pierre Viala, the castle was looted in 1792, then fragmented: part was acquired in 1803 by the Aubergiste Jean Cuq. The works of the 17th and 19th centuries (notably under the Viscount Decazes, Prefect of Albi) soften its medieval appearance.

The Viscount Joseph Decazes, owner from 1837, undertook important changes, including the removal of the cemetery adjacent to the chapel (transferred in front of the castle). After a failure to convert to horse breeding, the estate was sold in 1897 to Émile Falgueyrettes, merchant and political opponent of Jean Jaurès. Since then, the castle belongs to a family SCI descendant of the Falgueyrettes. Its architecture, surrounded by towers and centered on a courtyard, preserves traces of medieval windows and defensive elements, while the chapel (inscribed in 1927) recalls its religious and seigneurial role.

Archaeological and textual sources reveal a major reconstruction after the destruction of the 16th century (war against Spain in 1542, fire of the village in 1643), on medieval bases. The building, initially squared with a floor on raised ground floor, combines river pebbles, bricks and marble for the angle chains. The 18th century entrance door, the ogival vault of the basal hall and the 17th century plaster fireplace illustrate these transformation phases. Despite its inscription in the Historical Monuments (1988 for facades, 1999 for the whole), the castle remains a private property, witness to the social and political changes of Occitanie.

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