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Bed and Breakfast (Chambre d'Hotes) or Large Gite Holidays - South West France - Las Razes |
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Chateau de Brassac
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A
brief history Little is known about the history of the château before the 12th century. In 1180, Raymond V, count of Toulouse, purchased the château and part of the Brassac domain from Raymond de Planels. He put up a garrison and built a wide stonewall around what was just a large rectangular keep standing on the steep hillside and protected by a ditch. At the time, Henri II, the first Plantagenet King of England and Duke of Aquitaine since his marriage with Eleanor in 1152, had command over the whole S W France and laid claim to the province of Quercy, in the tenure of the Count of Toulouse. Raymond V was thus compelled to acknowledge the suzerainty of the crown of England. The château de Brassac even became the personal property of Richard the Lionheart for a while. Later, taking advantage of the military successes in the S W of Kings Philippe Auguste and Louis VIII of France, the Count of Toulouse was able to throw off English authority. During the Crusade against the Albigensian heresy (1209-1244), Raymond VI and Raymond VII, Counts of Toulouse, were each in turn excommunicated for the support they lent to the Cathars. Simon de Montfort and his crusaders devastated the Quercy region; then in 1235 the lordship of Brassac was confiscated for the benefit of the Bishop of Cahors. On the death of Raymond V11 in 1249, the county of Toulouse passed to the brother of Saint Louis, Alphonse de Poitiers, who had married Jeanne, the Count’s only child and heiress. Alphonse de Poitiers retrieved the lordship of Brassac from the Bishop of Cahors. In 1271, the lords of Brassac swore allegiance to Philip the Bold, King of France, the county of Toulouse being annexed to the royal domain after Jeanne and Alphonse had died without issue. During the Hundred Years war (1337-1453), the de Galards, lords of Brassac, at first pledged themselves to the King of England, then placed themselves at the service of the King of France. The English then twice took the château, in 1346 and 1356. In 1508, François de Galard de Brassac married Jeanne de Béarn who brought her husband and their descendants the name the arms and the titles of the House of Béarn. During the Wars of Religion (1562-1598), Jean III de Galard was charged with the defence of Lauzerte against the Protestants, who seized the town and laid siege to the château de Brassac. In 1609, Henry IV elevated the lordship of Brassac to the status of a county. In 1790, the château suffered fire damage at the hands of Revolutionaries. For a while it was lost to the de Galard family, who managed to buy it back after the Revoloution. In the course of the 19th century the family suffered severe financial setbacks and could no longer afford the upkeep of the domain. In 1891, the Chabrié family undertook its restoration, having purchased the gradually deteriorating château. In 1997, Madame de La Baume, a great-granddaughter of Monsieur Chabrié, donated the château to Giles de Galard de Béarn, a direct descendant of Géraud I de Galard.
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Listed as an historic
monument, the château de Brassac is an imposing 12th century fortress to which alterations were made at various
times up to the 16th century. In front of the
present-day château there stands a mound from feudal times, the site of an earlier château and a village fortification still
partly visible. Atop the second
piece of high ground, overhanging a steep hill side, the château is a quadrilateral construction, with each side 40 meters
long and a big circular tower at each corner. Within this enclosure
is a courtyard below which guardrooms were built. The towers and battlements
were razed to the level of the courtyard after the revolution. The château comprises
two distinct parts: The upper part
consists of the dwelling house, forming one side of the enclosure. The living quarters,
dating back to the beginning of the 14th century, were built on the site of the 12th century château
whose foundations have been identified in the cellars. A few alterations were
made at the end of the 15th century, notably the addition of several windows and a polygonal tower housing the
spiral staircase giving access to the various floors. The courtyard and
the main building are reached over a stone bridge (formerly a wooden drawbridge) spanning the old ditch and linking both pieces
of high ground. The dwelling house
suffered fire damage during the Revolution, destroying the interior. It was restored
in the course of the 19 and 20th centuries. Nowadays, the house
is still occupied, but this part of the château is not open to the public. The lower part
consists of the bulk of the fortress built in the 13th century and modified in the 16th century. Although reduced
in height the towers and battlements still make an imposing structure, over 10 meters high, with walls 2 – 3 meters
thick, built of huge blocks of the white Quercy stone. This fortress, its
towers pierced with loopholes typical of the 16th century, was surrounded by a dry moat, nowadays filled in. The guardrooms,
three in number, are situated below the courtyard and are laid out on two levels, communicating with one another and both
the towers flanking them. A stone staircase that leads directly to the courtyard
links them. There
is no sign of luxury or comfort other than mantelpieces and latrines set into the tower walls.
Neglected after
the Revolution, these rooms gradually deteriorated in the course of the 19th century. Major restoration was undertaken at the beginning of this century, mainly reconstruction of the vaults.
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