Second selection for Mission Patrimoine at La Salvetat-Saint-Gilles’ château, Haute-Garonne: between rescue and enhancement
La Salvetat-Saint-Gilles: Château Raymond IV enters its second heritage mission
Stabilised for the first time between 2018 and 2023, Haute-Garonne’s Château Raymond IV has been selected a second time for the 2026 Mission Patrimoine: a £500,000 phase will restore its corner pavilions and Renaissance staircase ahead of public opening.
Editorial journal · Carte des Châteaux ·
Acquired by the commune of La Salvetat-Saint-Gilles in 2016, Haute-Garonne’s Château Raymond IV—18 kilometres west of Toulouse—was stabilised between 2018 and September 2023. Yet it remains inaccessible to the public. A second selection for the 2026 Mission Patrimoine, eight years after the first in 2018, will now fund a new restoration phase aimed at opening the site to visitors.
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A castrum founded by Raymond de Saint-Gilles
Château Raymond IV takes its name from Raymond de Saint-Gilles, Count of Toulouse, who built a simple castrum between 1088 and 1096 to protect Toulouse from attacks from the west. Reconstructed and remodelled from the 13th to the 18th century, the building we see today stems mainly from 13th- and 14th-century construction campaigns, later complemented in the 17th and 18th centuries by open galleries with ceilings adorned with floral motifs in stencilled designs. Threatened with ruin at the start of the 21st century, it still combines a 13th-century fortified façade with a Renaissance manor house featuring open galleries.
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From emergency stabilisation to cultural enhancement
The first phase of work, between 2018 and September 2023, stabilised the structure and made the building watertight and weatherproof. By late 2025, archaeological surveys had shed further light on the site’s construction phases from the 11th to the 18th century. This new campaign marks a shift from the emergency rescue of previous years to a genuine cultural enhancement of the monument.
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£500,000 for the corner pavilions and Renaissance staircase
The priority phase for 2026 focuses on the two corner pavilions and the Renaissance staircase of the château: re-roofing in oak and terracotta tiles, brick consolidation, and floor repairs. A bridge over the moat is the subject of a separate optional phase. The commune estimates this first tranche at £500,000 excluding VAT, with 80% in public subsidies expected. The Fondation du patrimoine is supporting the project, which ultimately envisages creating a cultural venue with a public park.
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