Discover the exterior of a 12th century castle
In the 12th century, the Duras established a guard tower to be warned of any invaders that could cross the Dordogne. In the 14th century the Duras and the English decided to strengthen Gageac by creating a strategic stronghold.
In 1377, the king of France Charles V decided to take Bergerac back from the English. He sent his brother the Duke of Anjou, who did not succeed. He therefore appealed to the constable Du Guesclin.
The constable, after having crushed the English at Eymet, took Duras and attacked Gageac, the last lock before Bergerac. Its siege lasted 5 days.
During the 15th World War of Religions, Queen Jeanne d'Albret left Bergerac and stayed there before returning to her palace in Nérac, as did the famous Captain Geoffroy de Vivant when he was fighting against the Catholics on Sainte-Foy, Montravel and Bergerac.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries this fortress fell into disuse Gaillard de Durfort, Sieur de Duras, and the d'Essenault de Castelnau decided to transform Gageac into a comfortable and character residence that can still be admired.
To complete this complex, an imposing dovecote was built in the North, showing that this residence belonged to a very recognized seigneury.
After several auspicious years, Gageac was forgotten by the new owner Elie de Reclus and fell into disuse until his purchase by Napoleon-Louis Doussault of the Primaudière in 1824. He married his daughter Mathilde to Geoffroy de la Verrie de Vivans. His father Charles was responsible for restoring it with the techniques and grandeur of the 19th century. Gageac is still in the family since that day, continuing the continuity of this charming monument of South Bergerac.