The owner of a historic French chateau is willing to give it away, but there’s one major catch.
Dating back to the 10th century, Lagarde Castle remains today one of the most charming medieval castles in the country.
Once known as the “little Versailles of the Pyrenees”, it began as a simple watchtower under the reign of King Ramier I of Aragon in the 11th century, before being transformed into a defensive fortress by the Lévis family until the mid-16th century.
Built on a square plan and surrounded by four monumental towers, as well as enclosures and moats, it was transformed in the 17th century into a splendid pleasure palace, capable of accommodating 236 people at its peak.
But despite the castle’s charm and history, its current owner, Francis Tisseyre, is willing to offer the site to anyone willing to take it off his hands.
Château de Lagarde is a medieval French castle with timeless charm dating back to the 10th century.
Its current owner, Francis Tisseyre, said he is willing to offer the beautiful castle to anyone “for free.”
Reduced to ruins during the French Revolution in 1783, the castle was looted by people who sold its stones to the highest bidder.
After two centuries of abandonment, it was declared a historical monument in 1914, before a woman bought the castle.
Following her death, Francis Tisseyre was given the castle in 2012 on the condition that he and his family restore it to its former glory.
Mr. Tisseyre created a non-profit organization called Per lé Castel to help raise funds for the reconstruction by allowing visitors to attend and holding fundraising events.
However, after access to the top of the castle was deemed unsafe for visitors this summer, this dealt a perhaps fatal blow to the chances of its resurrection.
Instead of hosting 20 events a year, the unsafe structure now means only two or three events are permitted this year, severely impacting fundraising.
Speaking to The DepêcheTisseyre said it would take “millions of euros” to fully repair the structure, roughly double the cost of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
The castle’s current structural problems mean it cannot accommodate large crowds to help with fundraising.
Mr Tisseyre revealed that “millions of euros” would be needed to fully repair the structure.
Despite the castle’s charm and history, Mr. Tisseyre is willing to offer the site to anyone willing to take it off his hands.
He added that the castle is “available free of charge” for anyone to use, as long as they carry out the repair work.
“Neither the community of communes nor the department (will take the castle) due to lack of resources to carry out the works to make it accessible,” he added.
To ensure that all is not lost, government authorities are said to be working on what they can do to save the monument, according to The connection.
However, it remains to be seen whether this charming castle will eventually fall into further disrepair.