Photo : Didier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Château de Laréole
The Château de Laréole, in the Haute-Garonne, was built in 1579 for Pierre de Cheverry, a Toulouse notable and heir to a great woad merchant. Built in three years to plans by the architect Dominique Bachelier, this bastion-château has the restraint of Renaissance châteaux, with a plain square plan.
It stands out for the bands of brick and white stone striping its façade, a play of colour recalling the Hôtel d'Assézat built by the architect's father, Nicolas Bachelier; the same influence is seen in the courtyard with its gallery. In the early 18th century the château was bought by the Colomès family, who added a French formal garden, later decorated with neoclassical sculptures by Marc Arcis. In 1927 it was added to the inventory of historic monuments.
