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Origin and history

The Doujat Castle is a French building located in Toulouse, in the historic district of Saint-Martin-du-Touch, 5 km west of the Capitol. Built at the beginning of the 16th century for Jean d-Aussonne, adviser to the Toulouse parliament, he then moved on to his descendants, including the Doujat family, which kept him for three centuries. Its architecture combines Gothic elements (windows with lintels in braid) and Renaissance (door ornaments), with a characteristic crenellated octagonal tower.

The castle remained in the Doujat family until 1876, after having passed by heirs such as Bernard Doujat (dean of parliament), Pierre Doujat (capitoul in 1660), and Gabriel Bonaventure Doujat (baron d'Empeaux). In 1878 it was sold to Adolphe Peyreigne, who planted a park there, before being bought by the Dassier and then Gante families. Ranked a protected site in 1944, it is now owned by Mrs. Gante's family.

Its park and brick structure, including a mysterious stretch perhaps inherited from an ancient castle, make it a rare testimony of Toulouse civil architecture. The surrounding area, once an independent village, still bears the name of Doujat, highlighting the lasting influence of this family.

The castle illustrates the rise of the nobility of Toulouse dress, linked to the local parliament. Its owners, often councillors or capituls, embody the judicial and municipal power of the city in modern times. The transmission of the domain over four centuries reflects the stability of these elites under the Old Regime.

Ranked among the 9 protected sites in Toulouse, Doujat Castle is managed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition. Its present state results from the restorations of the 19th and 20th centuries, notably by the Dassier and Gante families, who preserved its historical character while adapting it to later times.

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