2023-11-06 07:00:06
The Saint-Cricq castle, in Auch, in Gers (32), is atypical. This 15th century residence has the particularity of being divided into 15 apartments, since a developer acquired it in 2005. Until then, the castle was the property of the Auch Hospital Center. One of the owners disappeared into the wild several years ago. Since then, no more sound, no more image. Between 2010 and 2022, he did not pay any charges and thus owes more than 96,000 euros. Not to mention 2000 euros in damages. Last February, an order to pay was issued but it remained a dead letter. The owner left for Uruguay after the death of his daughter, according to the president of the Gascon heritage preservation association, Cédric Davant-Lannes.
The free trade union association of the castle’s outbuildings has contacted a law firm for unpaid debts, being the owner’s creditor for an amount of nearly 100,000 euros. Part of the castle will therefore be auctioned on November 8 at 10:30 a.m. It includes outbuildings, a piece of land and residential premises of more than 80 m². Contacted by Le FigaroCédric Davant-Lannes, the president of the Gascon heritage preservation association, who estimates the value of the castle at 800,000 euros, would have wanted “the property is sold in its entirety, given the condition of the monument. No owner lives on site and the building is constantly ransacked».
The bathtub was broken. Photo credit: Safeguarding Gascon heritage
The survival of the castle threatened
The price of the apartment is derisory: only 3000 euros. Stay “In the apartment, the wires are visible, thieves have taken all the copper. 80 kilos of copper were stolen from the castle, the original floors and tiles were sold», explains Cédric Davant-Lannes. It must be admitted that the building is in poor condition. A rehabilitation of the premises had however been planned but the current procedure is slowing down the work launched in 2005, relates La Dépêche du Midi. Since 2009, the site has been left unfinished.
The castle is often the target of theft, damage, and urban exploration. Although it has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1925, its survival is threatened. “I’m a bit like Don Quixote, I fight against windmills. I changed the lock of the castle 12 times and managed to ensure that there were no squatters but I gave up now. The only solution is to sell the castle. There, selling an apartment is an illusion, a simple financial operation which will change nothing in the state of the castle», asserts Cédric Davant-Lannes.
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