Castelnau Bretenoux Castle

History of the castle

Built of XIIe at the XVIIe century by a powerful family of barons, the strong castle of Castelnau ordered in Haut-Quercy a rich person territory of valleys to the borders of the county of Toulouse, county of Auvergne, vicomté of Turenne and duchy of Aquitaine. It kept its formidable width, result of several construction campaigns. It is from 1100 that the first barons raised a fort on the model of the "new manors house" dominated by a tower military and surrounded by a borough castral. Place-strong primitive were preserved the home seigneurial and the square keep. Sit of an increasingly powerful feudal capacity and thanks to rich person alliances, the castle unceasingly was increased and strengthened. It adapted in particular to artillery in XVe century. Thus it appeared impregnable behind its imposing walls equipped with rooms of shooting, its broad ditch provided with false-braie and its high courtines with covered way connected by circular turns of angle. Most of the defensive system is still visible. At the XVIIe century, it was embellished richly decorated shows, high windows, galleries with gantries and of a balcony of honor. After the death of the last baron de Castelnau in 1715, the castle knew a long period of degradations. This one ended in 1896 thanks to the tenor of the comic Opera Jean Moulière which acquired the castle and undertook to restore it. It recreated, moreover, of the original decorations in seven rooms of the castle by installing there a significant collection of pieces of furniture and objets d'art of various times. It made a donation in the State with its death in 1932. The monument is currently opened to the public by the national Case of the historic buildings and the sites.