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Guilleragues Castle or Chateau de Guilleragues (pronunciation: [geeyerahg]) was built in many stages and went through many changes in its 800 year old history. The oldest parts and foundations date back to the 12th century. Little is known about the earliest dates and status of the structure back then. More obvious are parts built in the 13th and 14th century. The building must have been two or three separate structures initially, which were joint at some point later. The best known occupants of the castle are the De Lavergne family, who owned the castle in the 16th and 17th century. In fact, a major change took place in the 1560s, where windows were enlarged and added, doors where enlarged and many decorative features were added, changing the castle from a fortified structure with defense as its main function to a livable, more luxurious stately home. |
In a large, intricate relief above the main entrance with columns, symbols and lions, the year '1564' is inscribed on the family coat of arms.
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The most famous member of the Lavergne family was Gabriel-Joseph de Lavergne, Vicomte de Guilleragues, 1628 - 1685. He owed his fame to the masterpiece that he published as a translation 'Les Lettres d'une religieuse Portugaise' (1669), a literary hoax only discovered in the 20th century. |
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Gabriel Joseph de Guilleragues has only recently been positively identified as the author of the Lettres Portugaises; obviously he wanted to preserve the works anonymity so that it could pass as the authentic correspondence of a seduced nun abandoned by a French officer. Following some years in Bordeaux as Premier Président of the Cours des Aides, and Secretary to the Prince de Conti, he returned to Paris in 1666 to life at the court of Louis XIV. There, his circle of friends included Racine, Boileau, La Rochefoucauld, Madame de Sevigné as well as Madame de Maintenon through whose good offices he became the King's ambassador to Constantinople in 1679. He collaborated in the Gazette de France. |
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After the French revolution, in the late 18th century, the castle was partially destroyed. 170 years later, the remains of the castle were bought by Guy Dallay, who restored it to it's current grandeur before selling it to the current owner, Jaye Muller de Vexin, who is presently continuing with restauration work .
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