There are numerous
castles
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in the
Gers
Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377. ''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...
'' of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Many are little more than ruins and some are barely discernible, while others have been converted into modern homes. Castles or their remains may be found at the following locations, among others:
*
Avensac
Avensac is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gers department
The following is a list of the 461 communes of the Gers department of France.
The communes cooperate i ...
: 14th-century castle, remodelled in the first half of the 19th century. Notable parts include the
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
, ''
enceinte
Enceinte (from Latin incinctus: girdled, surrounded) is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the position. For ...
'' and terrace with supporting wall and staircases. Privately owned, the castle has been a protected ''
monument historique
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...
'' since 1983. (
)
*
Barran
Barran () is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
Barran is located on the river Baïse from the capital of the Gers department, Auch.
History
Barran is a typical example of a bastide, those villages that w ...
: The Château de Mazères was originally a 15th-century castle, altered in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Listed as a ''monument historique'' since 1981. (
)
*
Bassoues
Bassoues (; oc, Bassoas) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
The Auzoue, a tributary of the Gélise
The Gélise () is a tributary of the river Baïse in Gascony, southwestern France. It is long.
Etymology ...
: The Château de Bassoues dates from the last quarter of the 14th century. The property of the ''
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
'', it has been listed as a ''monument historique'' since 1840. It was built by Arnaud Aubert, who became Archbishop of
Auch
Auch (; oc, label= Gascon, Aush ) is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Occitanie, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony.
Geography
Localization
Hydrography
The Riv ...
in 1361. The accounts for the year 1370-71 of Raymond Sans, treasurer of Auch, detail the building of the castle. (
)
*
Beaumont
Beaumont may refer to:
Places Canada
* Beaumont, Alberta
* Beaumont, Quebec
England
* Beaumont, Cumbria
* Beaumont, Essex
**Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s
* Beaumont Street, Oxford
France (communes)
* Beaumont, Ardèche
* Be ...
: The Château de Beaumont was constructed in the 14th century. Significant building work was carried out in the 15th, 17th and 18th centuries. (
)
*
Béraut: The privately owned Château de Lasserre is a 14th-century castle, modified in the 16th and 18th centuries. (
)
*
Bivès
Bivès (; oc, Vivèrs) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territor ...
: Originally a 13th-century structure, the Château de Bivès was altered for Bernard de Castelbajac in the last quarter of the 16th century when the residence was altered and a tower added. Further alterations were made in the last quarter of the 19th century. It is privately owned. (
)
*
Berrac: The Château de Cadreils is believed to date from the 16th century. Additional building has been dated to 1689. The interior was remodelled in the 18th century. (
)
*
Cassaigne
Cassaigne (; oc, Cassanha) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gers department
The following is a list of the 461 communes of the Gers department of France.
The ...
: has two castles, both privately owned. The Château de Cassaigne dates from the 13th, 15th and 18th centuries. Of note are the façades and roofs, including those of the common buildings, the moat and bridge, the 18th century dining room and its chimney and the ground floor kitchen in the north wing. The Château de Cassaigne has been listed as a ''monument historique'' since 1987. (
). The Château de Léberon was constructed in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries and has been listed as a ''monument historique'' since 1963. (
)
*
Castéra-Lectourois
Castéra-Lectourois (; oc, Lo Casterar Leitorés) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of ov ...
: The Château de Castéra-Lectourois dates from the second half of the 15th century. Privately owned, the site has been listed as a ''monument historique'' since 1943. (
)
*
Castet-Arrouy
Castet-Arrouy is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
The river Auroue flows north through the commune and forms part of its northeastern border.
Population
Sites of interest
The Church of Saint Blandine is t ...
: The Château de Gachepouy was built between 1579 and 1584 for Anne d' Aydie, baroness of Pordéac. A staircase tower, now destroyed, was added in 1601 for Catherine des Fontaines, by Raymond Salles, master mason of Lavit de Lomagne. (
)
*
Condom
A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...
: The Château de Mothes dates from the last quarter of the 13th and first quarter of the 14th centuries, with additions from the 18th and 19th centuries. It is a privately owned ''monument historique'', so listed since 1987. (
). The Château de Pouypardin dates from the last quarter of the 13th and first quarter of the 14th centuries, with additions in the 15th and 16th centuries. A ''monument historique'' since 1986, it is particularly noted for its
orangery
An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very large ...
, tower, hall, staircase and roof. (
)
*
Courrensan
Courrensan (; oc, Corrençan) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gers Departments of France, department in southwestern France.
Geography
The Auzoue forms part of the commune's southern border, then flows north-northwest through the middle ...
: The Château de Courrensan was built in the 13thm 15th, 16th and 18th centuries. It has been protected as a ''monument historique'' since 1979 and is noteworthy especially for its 15th-century columned chimney in a second-floor room. A ground-floor room in the 18th-century wing contains impressive wood decoration. (
)
*
Espas: The Château d'Espas was originally constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries, with additions in the 17th century. Little of the original remains. (
)
*
Flamarens: ''See
Château de Flamarens'' (
)
*
Gimbrède
Gimbrède () is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
The river Auroue
The Auroue is a long river in the Gers, Lot-et-Garonne and Tarn-et-Garonne '' départements'', south western France. Its source is at Cras ...
: A castle was built at Rouillac by Bertrand de Goth, Viscount of Lomagne, between 1311 and 1323. It was altered and enlarged in the 18th century. (
)
*
Homps: ''See
Château d'Homps'' (
)
*
Labrihe: ''See
Château de Bouvées
The Château de Bouvées is a ruined castle in the ''Communes of France, commune'' of Labrihe in the Gers ''Departments of France, département'' of France.
The castle was built between 1530 and 1560 by Monseigneur de Saint-Julien, Bishop of Aire ...
'' (
)
*
Lagardère Lagardère may refer to:
* Lagardère Group, a French media group
* Jean-Luc Lagardère (1928–2003), French engineer and businessman and CEO of the Lagardère Group
* Arnaud Lagardère (born 1961), French businessman and son of Jean-Luc Lagardèr ...
: The ruins of the Château de Lagardère date back to the last quarter of the 13th century. The castle has been listed as a ''monument historique'' since 1922. (
)
*
Larressingle
Larressingle (; oc, Larressingla) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
Population
Sights
* Château de Larressingle
The Château de Larressingle is a ruined castle in the '' commune'' of Larressingle in ...
: ''See
Château de Larressingle
The Château de Larressingle is a ruined castle in the ''Communes of France, commune'' of Larressingle in the Gers ''Departments of France, département'' of France.
The castle was built in the second half of the 13th century. The second and thi ...
'' (
)
*
Larroque-Engalin: The ruined castle dates originally from the 13th century. A residence and staircase tower were added in the second half of the 15th century or first half of the 16th. The castle has been listed as a ''monument historique'' since 1949. (
)
*
La Sauvetat: The Château de Sérillac was originally an ancient Gascon fortress. During the Renaissance, it was converted to a country residence. Every century from the 13th to the 18th is represented in its architecture and decoration. The castle, its grounds and the remains of the chapel have been listed as a ''monument historique'' since 2002. (
)
*
Laujuzan: The 13th/14th-century chapel of the Château de Lau is the property of the ''commune'' and a ''monument historique'' since 1981. The Chateau de Lau, originally 11th/12th, was remodelled in the 17th/18th centuries. It is currently in a state of ruin. (
)
*
Lavardens
Lavardens ( oc, Lavardens) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territ ...
: The present massive structure dates from 1620 onwards, but is based around an earlier castle from the 13th century which was dismantled in 1496 by
Charles VIII following a siege. (
)
*
L'Isle-Bouzon
L'Isle-Bouzon (; oc, L'Isla Boson) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
The village lies above the right bank of the Auroue, which flows north through the western part of the commune. The river Arrats forms all o ...
: The commune contains the remains of three castles. A 13th-century castle was founded by the Galard family. This was totally rebuilt in the 18th century. It is privately owned. The terrace and the supporting wall have been protected as a ''monument historique'' since 1995. A 12th/13th-century castle, once the property of the family of Galard de Magnasowned and now owned by the ''commune'', has been protected since 1951. A third castle, rebuilt in the 16th century is now a ruin and in a poor state. It has also been protected since 1951.(
)
*
Lupiac
Lupiac () is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
The Auzoue forms most of the commune's southeastern border. The Douze forms the commune's western border.
Population
Literature
Charles de Batz de Castelmore d ...
: The Château de Castelmore is, by tradition, the birthplace of
d'Artagnan
Charles de Batz de Castelmore (), also known as d'Artagnan and later Count d'Artagnan ( 1611 – 25 June 1673), was a French Musketeer who served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard. He died at the siege of Maastricht in the Fra ...
. It is privately owned. (
)
*
Maignaut-Tauzia: The Château de Tauzia dates from the end of the 13th century, with alterations from the 16th. (
)
*
Mansencôme
Mansencôme (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Massencoma'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Gers Departments of France, department in southwestern France.
Geography
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gers department
References
...
: The Château de Mansencôme was built in the 13th and 14th centuries. Transept windows were added in the 18th century. The castle is privately owned and has been a ''monument historique'' since 1927. (
)
*
Mauléon-d'Armagnac
Mauléon-d'Armagnac (, literally ''Mauléon of County of Armagnac, Armagnac''; oc-gascon, Mauleon d'Armanhac) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gers Departments of France, department in southwestern France.
Geography
Population
See a ...
: The Château de Maniban, built in the 14th century and remodelled in the 17th, includes murals from the end of the 15th and early 16th centuries. (
)
*
Mérens
Mérens (Gascon language, Gascon: ''Merens'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Gers Departments of France, department in southwestern France.
Geography
Population
See also
*Château de Mérens
*Communes of the Gers department
Refe ...
: ''See
Château de Mérens'' (
)
*
Monfort
Monfort (; oc, Montfòrt) is a commune in the Gers department, in Occitanie region in southwestern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overs ...
: The Château d'Esclignac is a castle built at the end of the 15th century and beginning of the 16th century, protected as a ''monument historique'' since 1958. (
)
*
Montesquiou
Montesquiou (; Gascon: ''Montesquiu'') is a commune in the Gers department, Southwestern France. It is the historic seat of the Montesquiou family
The de Montesquiou family is an old French noble family from Montesquiou in Gascony whose doc ...
: The Château de la Mothe was constructed in the 14th century and is now in ruins. It is a privately-owned ''monument historique'', protected since 1941. (
)
*
Montréal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...
: The Château de Balarin was constructed at the end of the 13th century on the frontier of what was then English territory. It underwent substantial modification at the end of the 15th century to make it habitable, most importantly, the addition of windows and a circular tower. Now ruined, it has been a protected ''monument historique'' since 1942. (
)
*
Pouylebon
Pouylebon (; oc-gsc, Poilobon) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gers department
The following is a list of the 461 communes of the Gers department of France.
Th ...
: Remains of a 13th-century castle, owned by the commune and a ''monument historique'' since 1940. (
)
*
Pouy-Roquelaure: The square castle with one upper floor is believed to date from the 16th century and was partially rebuilt in the 19th century. (
)
*
Roquebrune: The Château de Pujos dates from the 16th century is noted for its spiral staircase and original chimneys. It is privately owned. (
)
*
Saint-Avit-Frandat: ''See
Château de Lacassagne'' (
)
*
Sainte-Gemme: The 13th-century castle, improved in the 16th and 17th centuries, is linked to the Gère family. With its chapel, registered as a ''monument historique''.
*
Sainte-Mère: ''See
Château de Sainte-Mère'' (
)
*
Saint-Georges: The Château du Bartas (or Barthas) dates from the second half of the 16th century. (
)
*
Saint-Jean-Poutge
Saint-Jean-Poutge (; Gascon: ''Sent Joan Potge'') is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of ove ...
: ''See
Château de Herrebouc
The Château de Herrebouc is a castle in the ''Communes of France, commune'' of Saint-Jean-Poutge in the Gers ''Departments of France, département'' of France.
Though an older building, the present look of the castle is the result of a major ca ...
'' (
)
*
Saint-Lary: The four-storeyed ruined castle dates from the 13th and 15th centuries. It is privately owned and has been listed as a ''monument historique'' since 1933.
*
Saint-Martin-d'Armagnac: The castle dates from 1563. (
)
*
Savignac-Mona: The 16th century Château de Savignac was altered in the early 17th century and in the last quarter of the 19th. It is privately owned. (
)
*
Seissan
Seissan (; oc-gsc, Sheishan) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gers department
The following is a list of the 461 communes of the Gers department of France.
The ...
: The Château du Garranée was originally constructed in the 11th century. It was modified in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. (
) A tower is all that remains of another castle, believed to be 13th century, belonging to the abbots of Faget. The ground floor had no openings other than a small bay in the southern wall. It represented the typical medieval military architecture of the region. It was already in ruins at the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
.
*
Sempesserre
Sempesserre (; Languedocien: ''Sempessèrra'') is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overse ...
: All that remains of the castle is a tower, believed to date from the second half of the 16th or first half of the 17th centuries.
*
Termes-d'Armagnac
Termes-d'Armagnac ( Gascon: ''Tèrmis d’Armanhac'') is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
Population
Notable people
* Thibault d'Armagnac (1405-1457), companion of Joan of Arc
See also
* Communes of ...
: ''See
Château de Thibault de Termes
::''Alternative name: Château d' Armagnac. Not to be confused with Château de Termes in Aude.''
The Château de Thibault de Termes was a medieval castle in the French town and ''commune'' of Termes-d'Armagnac, in the Gers ''département''. The k ...
'' (
)
*
Terraube
Terraube (; Gascon: ''Terrauba'') is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
History
During the early stages of the French Wars of Religion in September 1562, many of the largely Protestant inhabitants were massacred by order ...
: ''See
Château de Terraube'' (
)
See also
List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Region and Department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are properly called palaces, mansions or vine ...
References
External links
The
French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual, ...
website has database entries, in French, many with photos, on the following castles in Gers:
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castles In Gers
Buildings and structures in Gers
Monuments historiques of Gers