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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Occitanie
  4. Lot
  5. 46000 Cahors

  6. Via de Cahors Palace

 Via de Cahors Palace dans le Lot

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine urbain
Palais
Lot

Via de Cahors Palace

    Rue des Soubirous
    46000 Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Palais de Via de Cahors
Crédit photo : MOSSOT - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1326
Acquisition by Pierre de Via
XVe siècle (vers 1450)
Possible seat on the floor
1790
Transformation into prison
1829-1835
Partial reconstruction
1922
Headlight rating
2012
Final closure
2019
New rankings
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Former lighthouse, located on a wall dependent on the departmental prison: ranking by decree of 7 November 1922 - Tower of the King's castle: inscription by decree of 21 October 1925 - Former palace (Cd. CD 73): registration by decree of 7 June 1996; The built and unbuilt parts of the whole land, in whole, including the interior and exterior fence walls as well as the buried archaeological remains, as delimited on the plan annexed to the decree (cad. CD 73 and 73a): inscription by order of 25 June 2019; The medieval parts of the Palace of Via, become Castle of the King then house of arrest, namely the tower and the building that is next to it to the north, in total, the walls of medieval fence interior and exterior, the old strain of chimney known as "phare", as well as the floor and basement of this property, as described on the plan annexed to the decree (cad. CD 73, 73a): classification by decree of 23 December 2019

Key figures

Pierre de Via - Lord and sponsor Brother-in-law of Pope John XXII, acquirer in 1326.
Jean XXII - Pope (1316-1334) Uncle de Pierre de Via, key family link.
Arnaud des Près - Former convicted owner Property confiscated for Albige heresy.
Charles Hector Malo - Departmental architect Reconstructed prison (1829-1835).
Charles Gourlier - Inspector General Author of reconstruction plans.

Origin and history

The Palace of Via, originally called the King's Castle, was built in the 14th century in Cahors by Peter de Via, brother-in-law of Pope John XXII. This medieval urban palace, built in Figeac sandstone and brick, became a symbol of royal and episcopal power in the region. Its oldest elements, such as a tower and a north building, remain despite subsequent transformations. The site was acquired by Pierre de Via in 1326 after the confiscation of the property of Arnaud des Près, sentenced for heresy Albigoise.

In the 15th century, the palace could have housed the royal senate floor, a regional court managing the affairs of Limousin, Périgord and Quercy. Despite local resistance, the king of France gradually installed his authority there, although the initial project to build a royal building in the city was blocked by the bishop and consuls in the 14th century. The brick octagonal tower, known as the lighthouse, once served as a beacon for boatmen on the Lot before being dismantled in the 20th century.

The palace, transformed into a departmental prison in 1790, was partially rebuilt between 1829 and 1835 by architect Charles Hector Malo, inspired by the plans of Inspector Gourlier. He worked as a prison for more than 200 years, becoming France's oldest prison before its closure in 2012. Ranked a historic monument in 1922 for its lighthouse (dismounted) and in 2019 for its medieval parts, the site preserves old retaining walls and protected archaeological remains.

The history of the palace reflects the tensions between royal, episcopal and municipal power in Cahors. Its evolution, from a seigneurial palace to a prison, illustrates the political and judicial changes of France, from the Ancien Régime to the contemporary era. Today, the monument, which is owned by the state, is generating conversion projects, such as a transformation into a luxury hotel-restaurant envisaged by Chinese investors.

The successive protections (classification of the tower in 1925, inscription of the palace in 1996, then partial classification in 2019) underline its heritage value. The medieval elements still visible, such as the sandstone tower and the fence walls, testify to its architectural and historical importance in Quercy. The site remains a marker of Cahors' judicial and seigneurial past, between medieval heritage and modern adaptations.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum