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Origin and history

The medieval tower of Mescalprès is a building of the early 14th century, built in the valley of the Thèze by knights to strengthen the defense of the Castrum of Pestillac, alongside the towers of Guiral and Marnac. Built in a wood covering the valley, it was surrounded by an enclosure that is now extinct. Its role combined defensive (cruciform archeries) and residential functions (pathways, sinks, windows), reflecting a mixed occupation by local lords.

There is no record of its exact origin, but its abandonment seems to be linked to the end of the Hundred Years' War. The map of Cassini (18th century) mentions a hamlet with a castle in ruins, while the cadastre of 1837 shows only the isolated tower. Ranked a historic monument in 1995, it preserves traces of a back-to-back house and a coronation made of dovecote, illustrating its adaptation to seigneurial needs.

The tower, high of five levels (subsoil, three floors and attic), symbolizes the feudal Quercy architecture. Its present state results from post-medieval transformations, as attested by archaeological sources and cadastral plans. Gilles Séraphin's studies (2006) place it in a network of feudal towers protecting the Lot valleys, highlighting its strategic importance in a territory marked by medieval conflicts.

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