FLAMARENS CASTLE

This impressive château is typical of the Gascon style: massive, imposing, even austere. Built in the ^13th century as a dowry for the niece of Pope Clement V, it was first used as a fortress during the Hundred Years' War, before passing into the hands of Jean de Grossoles in 1466. The latter transformed its appearance by adding the keep housing the spiral staircase and a main building. In 1535, Barnard de Grossoles had a 12-meter tower built on the original structure. But it was during the ^17th and ^18th centuries that the château reached its apogee. It became a residence for pleasure, forgetting its defensive function. Sumptuous decorations were designed, with gypsum ceilings, marble columns, painted coffers...

In 1878, the line of fifteen lord-marquises of Grossoles died out with the death of Jules Alexandre, leaving the estate without an heir. The château was purchased four years later by the Galard-Magnas family, who occupied it until the mid-1920s. Forced to abandon the property due to the poor condition of the roofs, and unable to afford repairs, the family made several unsuccessful attempts to sell the building. In 1963, it was bought by a Parisian dentist, who had the entire building listed as a historic monument. He began the extensive and costly conservation work. Twenty years later, in 1983, the current owners took possession of the premises and set about restoring and embellishing it.