Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Crampagna Castle, located on a strategic rocky pole, was occupied in Roman times. Its 13th century square tower, built of stones of Vernajul, served as a watch post for the cousins of the Count of Foix. The site offered a dominant view of the Ariège valley, reinforcing its defensive role.

In the 14th century, the castle was enriched with a rectangular block decorated with Gothic windows (semicircular to the south, trilobed to the north), housing a chapel with carved ribs. The Roquefort family, then the Comminges, became owners until the 17th century, a period marked by violent conflicts. Raimond de Comminges, lord brigand, was convicted in 1614, resulting in the sale of the estate to François de Minut, whose widow married Marc-Antoine de Galard-Terraube.

The wars of Religion left deep traces: the castle was taken in 1585 by the Protestant Audou (Jean-Claude de Lévis-Léran), and then resumed after 107 cannons in 1586. Fighting continued until 1588, targeting notably the clergy. In the 18th century Catherine de Roquepine added a wing in stone, with Renaissance openings and curved vaults, marking the evolution towards a seigneurial residence.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1977 (falls and roofs) and then in 2015 (all), the castle passed into the hands of influential families, such as the Galard-Terraub until the Revolution. Becoming a national after the emigration of Antonin Galard to the United States, he was acquired by engineer Stanislas Proszynski, then by his son, sculptor Henri Proszynski. Since 1996, the Chanchevrier family has owned it.

Today, a private property that can be visited by reservation, the castle preserves defensive elements (tour dungeon, dungeon, cachot, gargoyle) and traces of different periods, from medieval mâchicoulis to Renaissance halls. Its archives, preserved in Pau, bear witness to its turbulent history, linked to religious conflicts and local dynasties.

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