History Château de Gudanes

a sketch of earlier château de gudanes looked in 1669



ruins of medieval château verdun

the commune of château-verdun takes name medieval fort once stood on site. first documented existence of structure in 1213 when counted among fortifications in county of foix raymond-roger, count of foix in report counts of toulouse. @ beginning of 14th century, pierre arnaud de château-verdun recorded seneschal of county of foix.

château verdun came possession of de sales (or de salles) de lordat family, came prominence in 10th century , amassed considerable wealth , power in toulouse.

in 1560s, during french wars of religion, barony of gudanes (alternatively spelled gudannes, gudanne, gudaigne , guadagne) belonged fantillon de sales, prominent huguenot. in 1567, huguenots of pamiers fled village of cabannes, massacred catholic troops castelnau-durban on 25 may 1567. on 27 september 1568, fantillon de sales led retaliatory attack, slaughtering many catholics in tarascon. in 1580, largely catholic population of gudanes launched uprising against de sales, plundering , ransacking château. fantillon de sales forced flee massacred.

fantillon s brother jean-paul de sales, catholic, inherited barony. de sales received considerable expanse of land, consisting chiefly of immense forests covering pyrenees, in barony of gudanes, , rewarded marquisate de gudanes. records 1671 describe castle on site ruins.

the final marquis de gudanes, louis-gaspard de sales, baron de château-verdun, d aston, , de luzenac, commandant king province of foix. through marriage marie de lordat en 1730, expanded lands considerably. wealthy known le roi des pyrénées ( king of pyrenees ).

louis-gaspard de sales hired noted architect ange-jacques gabriel design new château de gudanes, built 1741 1750. marquis hosted lavish parties frequented cultural elite, including protestant writer laurent angliviel de la beaumelle, mathematician charles marie de la condamine, georges-louis leclerc, comte de buffon, denis diderot, montesquieu , voltaire.

louis-gaspard de sales died daughter, marie thérèse josephe, , upon death bequeathed assets son-in-law, louis-guillaume-antoine de mengaud, baron de la hage. when french revolution broke out in 1789, aristocracy stripped of titles , lands. mengaud arrested died before faced trial.

property belonging aristocracy , church auctioned. pierre astrié, wealthy businessman neighboring town of ax-les-thermes, purchased château de gudanes. in 1811, pierre’s son jérome-stanislas d astrié living @ château de gudanes. astrié family ennobled in 1824, becoming d astrié de gudanes, during bourbon restoration when french monarchy temporarily restored.

the château de gudanes, taken prior 1910.

new laws stripped local population of right make use of forest resources, such collecting firewood , grazing livestock. led series of uprisinings known war of maidens , in masked men, disguised women, protested against wealthy landowners. protesters targeted château de gudanes, pillaging on 7 , 10 august 1830.

jérome-stanislas d astrié de gudanes died in 1843, , château de gudanes passed eldest daughter, charlotte, , husband, politician charles de limairac (fr). limairacs made several changes, placing family crest on front entrance, , installed new wrought iron balconies included monogram of charlotte d astrié de limairac.

charles de limairac died in 1860 , charlotte died in 1871, leaving château eldest son, adolphe de limairac. made more renovations between 1870-75. died childless in 1884, leaving château sister, marie baudon de mony, died in 1922. believed marie s sons , grandchildren lived in château during world war ii. in 1963, castle , surrounding land purchased tarn-et-garonne department use holiday vacation spot. in 1960s , 1970s, château used host children s summer camps.