Between Toulouse and Agen, some 20 km from Moissac, Goudourville takes its name from the Latin word "Gothorum villa".
The Goths, a Germanic people originally from Scandinavia, settled in the 5th century between the lower Quercy region and Toulouse.
The name will then become Gotorvilla, then Gothorville and finally Goudourville...
Previously, this Carolingian territory had been conceded in the year 947 to the Abbey of Bonneval which was destroyed by the Normans. The family, which settled there shortly before the year 1000, took the name of Goth and the title of Marquis of Gothie.
In the 11th century, Hughes de Gasques set up the lordship of Goudourville, vassal of the lordship of Clermont Soubiran and built the castle.
This fortress owes its notoriety to its location, the confines of Quercy, becoming the Marches of the Kingdom of France. The greatest families of the kingdom will then intrigue, ally to possess this fief and thus benefit from the title of Marquis, defender of Marches.
On February 24, 1278, Séguy and Pierre de Gasques granted the customs to the inhabitants of the Châtellenie de Goudourville by deed.
Illustrious people were the guests of Goudourville, notably Bertrand de Goth, 1st Pope of Avignon under the name of Clement V, the Bishop of Lectoure, Henri IV and the Royal Intendant of Montauban.
The list of owners over the centuries is dotted with illustrious names, Durfort, Saint-André, Caumont, d'Affis, d'Orléans, Longueville, as many families that have made the History of France.
The castle today
After the sleeping bridge that spans the moat, a door opens onto the guards' room which dates from the 11th century. It has kept all its medieval character with its loopholes, barrel vaults, fireplace from 1545 and coats of arms of the lords of the castle for more than a thousand years...
Lovers of authentic castles will be overjoyed by this ancient medieval fortress that was transformed during the 15th and 18th centuries. With for pieces of bravery its guards' room, its intimate chapel, its charming rooms where many illustrious people stayed, its courtroom where the customs of the region were written in the 13th century, its courtyard of honor where Henry IV planted the flags of the defeated enemies at the foot of his beautiful ...
Today, the Château de Goudourville offers medieval stays within its walls and organizes themed evenings which allow, for example, to learn about medieval cooking or to discover the medieval codes of beauty and hygiene. Visitors can also banquet by candlelight and in period costumes ...
According to the guide Sawdays Alastairs, "The Castle of Goudourville, a medieval splendor without the drafts but with hot showers and a romantic atmosphere. The rooms are spacious and spectacular with massive four-poster beds. Clément V, decorated with red fabrics; Charles IX, all in stone walls with cream-colored hangings. The bathtubs are deep and the bathrooms are well stocked with towels.
Goudourville Castle
82400 Goudourville
Tel: 05 63 29 09 06 and 06 69 13 09 06
www.chateau-goudourville.fr
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