Salvetat-Saint-Gilles Castle

About

The Château Raymond IV in La Salvetat-Saint-Gilles, located 18km west of Toulouse, was first built by Raymond de Saint-Gilles (also known as Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse) between 1088 and 1096 as a simple castrum to protect the city of Toulouse from attacks from the west. It was subsequently rebuilt and redeveloped between the 13th and 18th centuries. Threatened by ruin in the 21st century it benefited from a start of restoration from 2019.

There are no traces of the 11th century castle and the building that can be seen today is the result of a construction carried out in the 13th and 14th centuries. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the castle was remodelled, including the addition of open courtyards with ceilings decorated with stencil floral motifs, and a reshaping of facades according to the tastes of the time. The building thus presents some aspects of a 13th century fortification visible notably on the south facade and that of a Renaissance house with two bodies connected by open galleries.