Centre des monuments nationaux

Come and discover Gramont castle, a fine Renaissance dwelling set at the foot of the Gascony hills, between Agen and Auch.

Visiting Gramont castle 

• From the Gothic to the Renaissance. Gramont castle was built in the 14th century over the ruins of the original castle, of which only a fortified tower remains (known as the tower of Simon de Montfort). The current building has two distinct parts: a small, Gothic castle at the entrance, joined to a Renaissance wing with delicately carved mullioned windows. Twin doors leading to a staircase with ribbed vaulting link the wing to a courtyard. There are two vast halls on the first floor, one of which has been restored and returned to its original volumes. A small spiral staircase with no central newel, an extraordinary technical feat, leads to the oratory. 

• A refurnished castle. All the rooms have been refurnished and decorated with art objects dating from the Middle Ages through to the 17th century. 

• A terraced garden. The terraced garden was re-landscaped in the 20th century. It dominates the typical, rolling Lomagne countryside.

Understanding Gramont castle 

• Simon de Montfort. Simon de Montfort (1160 - 1218) was a hero of the Crusades to the Holy Land and was called upon to repress the Cathar heresy in Occitania. He is remembered as a pitiless executioner due to his intransigence and his bloodthirsty methods.