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Origin and history

The Laroque-des-Arcs toll tower, located in the Lot in the Occitanie region, was built in the first half of the 13th century. It is part of the castrum of La Roque, first mentioned in 1231, then in 1237 under the possession of Fortanier II de Gourdon (†1260/1261). He inherited it to his son Pons II de Gourdon in 1258. In 1280, Hugues de La Roque, brother of Pons II, paid tribute for this fief to the bishop of Cahors, confirming his strategic and seigneurial importance.

In 1297, Fortanier de Gourdon sold his rights on La Roque to Guillaume de Jean, a bourgeois of Cahors, suggesting a fragmentation of the seigneury. Local tradition refers to the use of the tower as a point of perception of grant, although no text formally attests. In 1300 Bertrand II de La Roque, grandson of Hugues, was lord of La Roque and Saint-Cirq, and co-signor of Gourdon. In 1305 he signed an agreement with the consuls of Cahors, granting a free passage on his land against 500 pounds.

The seigneury of La Roque remained in the family of Gourdon until the 17th century, notably through matrimonial alliances, such as that of Gillette de Gourdon with Antoine-Jean de Fontanges in 1601. The tower, located on a rocky spur overlooking the Lot, is now in ruins, retaining only its first level and traces of old buildings backed. It was listed as a historical monument on 23 April 1979.

Architecturally, the tower features a 6.60-metre square plan, with walls of nearly 2 metres thick. A double-row door of recessed holes suggests a frame access, while a narrow day slot pierces the west face. The traces of missing buildings, semi-troglodytic, attest to a wider occupation of the site. Its supposed role as a toll tower reflects its strategic positioning on a major river taxiway.

Historical sources underline the importance of the Castrum de La Roque as a point of control and power, shared between several members of the Gourdon family. The tribute to the bishop of Cahors in 1280 and subsequent transactions illustrate the feudal and economic dynamics of the region. The tower, although partially collapsed, remains a testimony of medieval perception systems and seigneurial organization in Quercy.

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