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Origin and history

La motte feudale de Lamazère, located in the Gers department in the Occitanie region, is a vestige typical of medieval defensive constructions. This type of monument, frequent in the area, was often associated with rural churches, as evidenced by the Romanesque traces visible on the neighbouring building. Wall piles still visible to the east and north of the church suggest a vaulted cradle structure, characteristic of the religious architecture of the time. An adjacent chapel, dated 1665, shows a subsequent evolution of the site.

According to local beliefs, the feudal moth would house the burial of a Gaulish chief, accompanied by a treasure in gold coins. This legend, though unverified, reflects the symbolic and historical significance attributed to these sites by local communities. The motte was listed as a Historic Monument by order of 6 September 1978, highlighting its heritage value. Today, it belongs to the municipality of Lamazère and remains a testimony of the feudal and religious dynamics of Gers.

The site is representative of the interactions between seigneurial power and rural life in the Middle Ages. Feudal mottes often served as checkpoints and refuges for local populations, while being linked to places of worship. In the Gers, this proximity between religious buildings and defensive structures illustrates the territorial and social organization of the period, where churches and castles or mottes formed coherent ensembles at the service of peasant communities and local lords.

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