A two-day itinerary through the castles of the Gers during the Flame of Armagnac 2026 (Montréal, 14–15 November)
Flame of Armagnac: A Two-Day Château-Hopping Itinerary in the Gers
On 14 and 15 November 2026, Montréal celebrates the Flame of Armagnac. Two days to journey from alambics to Gascon castles: Flamarens, Lavardens and its d'Artagnan exhibition, the tower of Termes, and the keep of Bassoues.
Editorial journal · Carte des Châteaux ·
Gers, 14-15 novembre
In Gascony, November carries the scent of white wine warming in copper. With the harvest in, the estates relight their alambics to distil Armagnac, and the Gers celebrates this moment under the name Flame of Armagnac. In Montréal, a small bastide in the Ténarèze, the festivities take place this year on 14 and 15 November. An autumn weekend that alternates between cellars and stone: the tower of Flamarens, rescued from ruins by a family since 1983; the unfinished château of Lavardens, hosting an exhibition on d'Artagnan until January; the seigneurial tower of Termes; and finally the keep planted above Bassoues by the archbishops of Auch. Four looped stages, from the north of the department to the hills of Astarac.
Three Men Behind the Stones
Arnaud Aubert
mort en 1371
Nephew of Pope Innocent VI, he serves as Archbishop of Auch from 1357 until his death and, from 1361, as Camerlengo of the Roman Church, overseeing the papal finances in Avignon. It is he who commissions the keep of Bassoues in 1368. He dies in Avignon on 11 June 1371, before the tower’s completion.
Antoine de Roquelaure
1544 - 1625
Placed in the service of the future Henri IV as a child by Jeanne d’Albret, he follows the prince in his campaigns for the crown and becomes one of his closest companions. Louis XIII makes him Marshal of France in 1614. Baron of Lavardens, he launches a new château there in 1620 that he never sees completed: he dies in Lectoure in 1625.
Thibaud de Termes
né en 1405
Born into the seigneurial family of Termes, he grows up in the family tower. During the Hundred Years’ War, he fights alongside Joan of Arc, then continues his military career in the service of Charles VII, who appoints him Grand Bailiff of Chartres.
Preparing for the Weekend
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The route on the map
The Gascon Loop Through Four Châteaux
From Flamarens in northern Gers to Bassoues in Astarac, via Lavardens and Termes-d'Armagnac. Saturday evening is spent in Montréal, in the Ténarèze region.
Markers follow the suggested visiting order. Select a castle to open its page.
Sources
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Day by day
The itinerary
Day 1: From Lomagne to the Ténarèze
Morning stop at the tower of Flamarens, afternoon visit to Lavardens and its d'Artagnan exhibition, then the Flame of Armagnac evening in Montréal.
Day 2: Towards the Adour and Astarac
Morning at the tower of Termes-d'Armagnac and its Adour Valley views, afternoon at the keep of Bassoues and its bastide.