The castle of La Blainie (also called La Bleynie) is located in the town of Albas, in the Lot department, 25 km west of Cahors.
It was built in 1865 on behalf of Etienne Pagès, then Inspector of the Armies and Intendant General, loyal to Napoleon III and close to Pope Pius IX.
Overlooking the course of the Lot, sitting on a rocky peak in the center of the village which was a fortified citadel in the Middle Ages, the eclectic style building (one part appears neo-classical, the other evokes the "troubadours" castles fashionable at the time, with medieval references) is three stories high, with a tower in the center of the facade and corner turrets.
It was then acquired, at the end of the 19th century, by the mayor Gustave Pagès du Port, mayor of Albas, who got heavily into debt for the occasion. His deputy, who was also a notary, acquired it at auction in 1902. The château remained in this family until 2005.
The building from which there is a magnificent view of the river and its hillsides planted with vines is still of nowadays private property. Bed and breakfast rooms have been set up there.
If you don't stay at the castle, you can admire its noble and imposing silhouette during a walk in the alleys of the village or from the banks of the Lot. Information on +33 6 89 70 16 08 or +33 5 65 20 12 21.
