Larressingle, Midi-Pyrénées 32100

In the 13th century, the village of Larressingle was fortified. Originally, an imposing three-story keep and a Romanesque church stood atop the hill. They were later surrounded by 270 meters of high walls connecting eight towers. Inside, medieval houses adjoin the surrounding wall. To defend the site, the inhabitants relied on crenellated towers with straight or cross-shaped arrowslits the famous keep a patrol path on the ramparts moats, dug at the foot of the surrounding wall and a single main entrance gate with a drawbridge at the time, now replaced by a small bridge. The church was also modified with a refuge room, overlooking the keep. In the 14th century , the keep was transformed into a Gascon castle. In the 16th century, improvements were made for the comfort of the lords of the castle: a tower housing a spiral staircase, numerous mullioned windows to bring in light? At the end of the 16th century , the castle was abandoned and deteriorated for almost two centuries, At the beginning of the 20th century, the Duke of Treviso restored it Since its renovation, Larressingle has been awarded several classifications for its protection: 'Historic Monuments', 'Unesco World Heritage', 'Most Beautiful Village in France', 'Grand Site d'Occitanie'.