Lacataye Keep

The Lacataye keep

The Mont-de-Marsan audio-guided tour presents you with the Lacataye keep, an imposing medieval fortified house that dominates the city and today houses the sculpture museum.

From fortified house to museum

The Lacataye keep was born in the thirteenth century from the fusion of two Romanesque houses, joined to form a vast fortified house. The term "castar", of Spanish origin, designated this type of defensive dwelling. Over the centuries, the building was transformed; it was notably restored around 1860 at the initiative of mayor Antoine Lacaze, who left it his name. Since 1968, the keep has housed the Despiau-Wlérick museum, thus combining medieval memory and artistic vocation in the heart of Mont-de-Marsan.

What there is to see

The keep impresses with its mass of stone and its fortress-like appearance, inherited from its origins as a fortified house. Become the setting of the sculpture museum, it marries built heritage and artistic collections. It is one of the most emblematic monuments of Mont-de-Marsan, a witness of the Mont-de-Marsan Middle Ages.

Practical information

The Lacataye keep is in the heart of Mont-de-Marsan. Its façade can be contemplated freely from the outside; it houses the Despiau-Wlérick museum, whose access and hours, subject to a campaign of works, are to be checked on site.

How was the Lacataye keep formed?

In the thirteenth century, by the fusion of two Romanesque houses joined into a vast fortified house of the "castar" type.

What does the Lacataye keep house today?

The Despiau-Wlérick museum, installed within its walls since 1968; the building had been restored around 1860 by mayor Antoine Lacaze.