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Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Nerac, Louis XII style marking the transition between Gothic and First Renaissance, was built between the 14th and 16th centuries by the family of Albret. At its peak, it had four wings surrounding a court, of which only the north wing – classified in 1862 – survived the French Revolution. This wing, with its corbelled gallery and its historic capitals, illustrates the Renaissance architecture of the southwest.

The castle was the residence of the lords of Albret, first linked to the Armagnac and then to the kings of France. Joan of Albret, Queen of Navarre, held her court there in the 16th century. Dismantled in 1789, it became a museum in 1934, presenting archaeological collections and objects related to the Renaissance and Albret. Today, it focuses on the history of the royal family and the court of Navarre.

The museum, created in 1872 and installed in the castle in 1934, owes its existence to collectors such as Georges Monbrison and state deposits. Its collections, initially encyclopedics (archaeology, fine arts, natural history), have been re-focusing since 2016 on the Renaissance and Albret. The site remains a major testimony of Protestant and cultural history of the South-West, with figures like Marguerite de Navarre.

Marguerite of Navarre, the sister of François I, wrote there Heptameron and welcomed intellectuals like Clement Marot or Calvin. His daughter, Jeanne d'Albret, protected Protestants there. Henry IV, his son, lived there before becoming king of France. The castle, although partially destroyed, retains remarkable architectural elements, such as the guard room and the remains of the royal gardens.

Ranked a historic monument since 1862, the castle of Nerac is today a place of memory of the Renaissance and the Reformation. Its collections, enriched by regional museum depots (Toulouse, Tarbes), offer a panorama of the decorative arts, painting and military history of the period. The site, labeled Musée de France, attracts for its heritage and its role in religious and political history.

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