Château de Castelnau-Bretenoux

About

Castelnau-Bretenoux Castle, located in the territory of the French commune of Prudhomat, in the Lot department, is the medieval fortress, which has never been besieged, the most imposing of Quercy. It belongs to the State, is assigned to the Ministry of Culture and is open to the public by the National Monuments Centre.

Location: The castle stands 900 metres east of Prudhomat, in the French department of Lot. At its feet has established a castral village since the thirteenth century.

The building of the castle took place over several centuries, from the twelfth to the seventeenth century. Its origin dates back to Hugues de Castelnau, who built a enclosure around his estate. He is the ancestor of a very powerful family lineage, barony infused to the Counts of Toulouse and which thrives in a region rich in agricultural resources. From its medieval period, we find the square dungeon and a seigneurial house. It was then redeveloped in the 15th century to adapt to the nascent artillery. It will be taken by Henry II Plantagenet but will become the property of the Barons of Castelnau at the end of the Hundred Years War.