Lagarde Castle
| Lagarde Castle | ||
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 Lagarde castle ruins |
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| Creation time : | 12th to 16th centuries | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Standing position : | Aristocratic residence | |
| Construction: | House stone | |
| Place: | Lagarde | |
| Geographical location | 43 ° 2 '58 " N , 1 ° 56' 2" E | |
| Height: | 530 m | |
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The Lagarde Castle ( French Château de Lagarde , Occitan La Garda ) is the ruins of a medieval hilltop castle in what is now the Ariège department in the French region of Occitania .
location
The small municipality of Lagarde is around 500 meters above sea level. From the center of the village there is a 200 meter long footpath with a 30 meter difference in altitude to the castle ruins, which are located on a leveled hilltop at 530 m .
history
The first castle on this site was built in the 11th century by Sancho Ramirez I , King of Aragon and at the same time as Sancho V, King of Navarre . During the Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229) the castle was captured in 1211 and handed over to his comrade Guy de Lévis together with the rule of Mirepoix from Simon de Montfort . The castle remained in the hands of the Lévis family until the eve of the French Revolution .
At the beginning of the 14th century, François de Lévis began demolition and renovation work. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Lagarde Castle experienced profound changes: Under Jean de Lévis , the successor advisor to the kings Charles VIII , Louis XII. and Franz I was, it was transformed from a medieval fortification to a renaissance castle.
During the years of the French Revolution, the castle came into the possession of the state and was sold as a quarry. Some buildings were used as weapons stores, horse stables, and saltpeter factories. In 1805 the property returned to the Lévis family, who owned the property with interruptions until 1986. In 1987 the complex was sold to two women from Toulouse . Several associations have been looking after the castle since 1990. In 2006, parts of the gardens were redesigned based on old models and the area was made accessible to the public for an entrance fee.
architecture
Since the Lagarde Castle is not a hilltop castle in the classical sense, in which the natural forms of the terrain had to be included in the architectural planning, the castle surprises with its very regular and balanced shape.
The entire castle or palace complex stands on an approximately 1.50 meter high platform, which, in addition to defensive and representational tasks, also enabled rapid drainage of rainwater into the surrounding moat thanks to a slight slope towards the outside . The medieval platform from around 1330 was additionally secured by walls and windowless round towers in all four corners.
The actual main building of the castle consists of several square or rectangular towers, which were connected to each other by living quarters ( cours de logis ) on all four long sides. Both in the towers and in the living quarters there are a number of window openings that only illustrate the castle-like character of the complex, which was completed around 1520. A century later, the castle received a 150-meter-long and four-meter-wide driveway from the village side, so that you could comfortably drive to the castle courtyard in carriages .
In the 18th century, the area around the palace was embellished with the creation of gardens. The entire palace complex was nicknamed Versailles du Languedoc at this time .
literature
- Henri-Paul Eydoux: Châteaux des pays de l'Aude. In: Congrès archéologique de France. 131e session. Pays de l'Aude 1973 Société Française d'Archéologie, Paris 1973, pp. 212-218.
Web links
- Photos and information (French)