The castle

The castle of LARNAGOL

The château through the ages: 700 years of history

A former fortress overlooking the River Lot, the château is located in the centre of the historic village on a rocky spur at the confluence of two talwegs. Originally a 2400-hectare agricultural estate, the property has been reduced over the centuries to just 3.5 hectares.
Facing the hill, the main building, massive and austere, integrates the former keep/house from the early 14th century with an extension built at the very beginning of the 18th century (1711). It is surrounded by its outbuildings: stables, dovecote, vat room and orangery.

The buildings

Two families are responsible for the current buildings:

The family of the Viscounts of Calvignac

Originally owned by the powerful Bertrand de Cardaillac, Lord of Saint Cirq La Popie in the 12th century, the fiefdom was passed on by marriage to Viscount Dorde de Calvignac.
The new three-storey dwelling was built at the end of the 13th century, below the old keep. Numerous traces of this first construction (geminated windows, pointed doorway, murals) remain.

In the 15th century, the Viscounts of CALVIGNAC built the church of LARNAGOL. In the 16th century, they remodelled the castle and built the tower. They remained owners until 1591.

The LAPORTE family barons of LARNAGOL

After changing owners through succession, the Château was in a poor state of repair when, in 1638, Pierre de LAPORTE, a native of FIGEAC and of lesser nobility of the robe (civil and criminal lieutenant general of the seneschaussée), acquired the seigneury. At the time, it comprised 2415 hectares (LARNAGOL, SEUZAC, Saint CHELS). Between 1704 and 1765, his descendants decided to transform the château into a pleasure estate. Two major renovation campaigns were undertaken, transforming the former medieval dwelling into a "country house" and holiday resort. They shaped the image of the house and gardens as we see them today. Jean de Laporte, a knight of the Montauban Court of Aids, restructured the château between 1705 and 1729. His son, Etienne Alexandre, continued the work by building outbuildings and the south wing in the 1750s, which included the grand salon, the study and the orangery. His descendants kept the house until after the French Revolution (1840). The estate was then divided up.

Raymond Subes

One man, Raymond SUBES, and his work have left their mark on the soul of this house. An emblematic ironworker of the first half of the 20th century, he lived in this house every summer for 50 years and welcomed many artists and personalities from the worlds of art and politics. While respecting the spirit of the house, he also added a number of embellishments that reflect his art: wrought ironwork (entrance gates, terrace railings, balconies, etc.).
This artist, whose talent received worldwide acclaim during his lifetime, is still little known to the general public, even though he is sought after by collectors.

After the death of Raymond SUBES, the Château remained closed for more than 30 years, with no maintenance. In 2011, it was acquired by Bruno PIERRON and Michèle CONTE PIERRON, a couple with a passion for heritage, who wanted to bring it back to life with the ambition of re-enchanting the place and sharing it with other heritage lovers. At the time, the château was in a critical state of repair, but deeply authentic. Almost all of its decor was still there, altered but preserved.

The castle of LARNAGOL

Historic Monument

The entire château, its facades, interiors and gardens are listed as Historic Monuments.
Built in the 13th, 14th, 16th and 18th centuries.

The castle of LARNAGOL

The gardens

with a surface area of 5,000 m² is one of the Château's key assets. Very structured, they are broken down into several sub-spaces:

 - The immediate surroundings of the château: main courtyard, large paved forecourt extending to the east into an ornamental kitchen garden designed in a modernised version of the medieval plessis; 

- The belvedere, overlooking the village, has been laid out as a formal garden with boxwood embroidery in the spirit of the 18th century.
 - Five terraces on the slopes of the causse, linked to the kitchen garden by a bridge, cut into the steep mineral relief, offer breathtaking panoramic views of the château below and the LOT valley. 

These "Italian-style hanging gardens", which are unique in the region, are accessed via an 18th-century wrought-iron gate and grand stone staircases.

 The first terrace features flower beds and a rose garden
 At the top of the park, the hydraulic system is made up of four basins, fed by a spring that emerges from the faults in the limestone, and collects spring and run-off water through a network of small channels.

Thirteen years of work

Restoration of the château and gardens

Since its acquisition, we have carried out a vast, ambitious and uninterrupted programme of works:

  • Total renovation of roofs, frames, windows, shutters and waterproofing of buildings
  • Restoration of the interior decorations: gypseries, inlaid parquet flooring, wood panelling, painted canvases, medieval painted decorations in the former dwelling (discovered during the works), renderings and whitewashes.
  • Complete renovation of the electrical and plumbing networks, installation of essential comfort features in a difficult building context; 
  • Creation of a central heating network fed by a double pellet boiler
  • Creation of bathrooms and shower rooms.

As all the interior and exterior buildings are listed as Historic Monuments, the restoration work, carried out under the supervision of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, was guided by respect for the original features and decor. Ancestral traditional methods and know-how were used. Natural materials and period salvaged materials were used, with a constant concern for detail.

 

For this major restoration, we received financial support from theStatusand private sponsors. Our warmest thanks to all of them.

Les Dépendances: projects

The orangery will soon be used for festive events (receptions) and cultural activities (exhibitions, concerts, conferences, etc.).

In the pipeline:
- Restoration of the interior of the stables, which will be used for receptions;
- The installation of an outdoor spa on a west-facing terrace with panoramic views over the LOT valley;
Adapting the large spring-fed pool for bathing by installing a biological purification system.