Château Saint-Sauveur dans le Lot-et-Garonne

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Key figures

Origin and history

The Château Saint-Sauveur, built in Lafitte-sur-Lot in the Lot-et-Garonne department, is a rectangular Renaissance house built in the first half of the 16th century. Its floor, served by a polygonal staircase tower, housed Italian-inspired frescoes, including an Adoration of the Magi evoking the style of Leonardo da Vinci. These paintings, dated after 1506-1510, were covered around 1560 during the Protestant conversion of the village, suggesting an occupation by a Huguenot family.

In the seventeenth century, the castle was mentioned as a cantonment for dragons sent to suppress Protestants. A north wing, added between the 17th and 18th centuries, extends the body of Renaissance houses, while a dovecote completes the whole. The berries were reshaped in the 1950s, partially altering the original appearance. In 1955, the rediscovery of murals (Adoration of the Magi) confirmed their artistic value. The Renaissance house and its stairway tower were listed as historical monuments on 13 January 2000.

The architecture of the castle thus mixes Renaissance elements (saper tower, frescoes) and subsequent additions (north wing, pigeon tree). The changes of the 20th century, though denaturing, did not erase its historical character, linked to both Renaissance art and the religious conflicts of the 16th century.

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