CHATEAU DE CAUMONT

About

Caumont Castle is a listed Renaissance historic monument that has been restored by generations of passionate owners.

On site: guided tours of the castle (by booking), self-guided tours of the grounds, a special children’s trail, and an escape game

Shop and tea room

Caumont Castle, from where one can enjoy a superb view of the Pyrenees mountain range, consists of two buildings:

• The old castle, built on the site of a fortified castle that once belonged to Gaston Phébus; this is the oldest part, featuring a more typically medieval style of architecture, dating from the 15th century. It is all that remains of the original fortified castle. This section now houses the reception rooms and the gift shop

• And the present-day Renaissance château, which was built between 1525 and 1535. This building owes its nickname, ‘the Loire Valley château of Gascony’, to its distinctive architecture, emblematic of the châteaux of the Loire Valley. Indeed, this Renaissance gem was built by Pierre de Nogaret de La Valette on his return from the Italian Wars, in which he fought alongside François I, drawing inspiration from the Italian Renaissance

Caumont was the birthplace of Jean-Louis de Nogaret de la Valette in 1554, who became Duke of Epernon by the grace of Henry III, whom he served before going on to serve Henry IV and Louis XIII.

He embellished Caumont, which became a testament to his power. Henry IV, moreover, came to visit him on several occasions, and the room in which he slept has been preserved. Caumont has, moreover, continued this tradition of hosting sovereigns by welcoming the Queen of England, the Queen Mum, in 1988.

Caumont bears witness to a château that was still defensive in nature, with its two levels of vaulted underground passages and its four diamond-shaped fortified towers, yet was already oriented towards pleasure and splendour, featuring large openings, its Florentine-style staircase adorned with the three classical Greek orders, and its reception gallery with its mosaic floor.

The structure is built of alternating bands of brick and stone, which allows the light to impart that distinctive golden hue.

Three U-shaped wings surround a magnificent main courtyard, which has recently been restored.