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This is the only castle in the Gard that is surrounded
by moats with running water, and it is the only monument whose ditches have
not been
drained, since the thousand-square-meter grounds are supported by piles
sunk into the water, imitating the construction of Venice. It was once
the secondary residence of the Laudun de Montfaucon family and later
became their family home. In 1559, Guillaume de Panisse, husband of Jeanne
de
Montfaucon, sold Lascours to Guillaume de Joyeuse (His Majesty's lieutenant-general
in the province of Languedoc). He improved its system of defence and added
the east wing. His youngest son, François, inherited Lascours. François
de Joyeuse was named cardinal, archbishop of Narbonne, and was even named
legate to France by Pope Paul V. He finished construction of the great hall
that became known as the "Hall of the Estates General." A small
oratory was created. The castle was transformed into a magnificent residence
in the French Renaissance style. Marie de Guise, the cardinal's niece, inherited
Lascours but later sold it. In 1792, the town protected the abandoned castle,
thus saving it from revolutionary turmoil. The castle was recovered by its
rightful owners, the family of Jouenne d'Esquigny, who maintained it until
World War II. In 1972, Lascours was restored to the Ministry of War, which
sold it by auction in 1979.
Since then, the current owners have taken on its restoration, its upkeep, and
its promotion, in order to try to return some splendor to this jewel of the Gard
Rhodanien's heritage.
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