Monclar-sur-l’Osse
Perched on the right bank of the river Osse, the village of Monclar (formerly Moncla) is an ancient Gascon castelnau dating back to the 11th century.
In 1068, Bertrand de Marrens, the ninth direct descendant of King Clovis, received the lands of Moncla and Marrens from his father, the lord of Montesquiou, and took its name. In 1088, he had a fortified tower built on a rocky promontory, along with a number of dwellings protected by a surrounding wall. The castelnau of Moncla thus formed dominated the Osse valley and allowed observation and control of the roads running through the seigneury of Montesquiou.
Around 1393, the daughter of Hugues de Marrens married the brother of the Count of Astarac, Jean d'Astarac. In 1455, his daughter Catherine married Jean de Lasséran.
In 1577, their great-grandson, Jean-Alexandre de Lasséran, under his command and that of the Chevalier d'Antras, assembled the Armagnac and Pardiac garrisons at Moncla before delivering the town of Mirande, which had been besieged by Huguenots.
In 1700, his descendant married Jean-Bernard de Séissan de Marignan. Their granddaughter Sophie-Christine and her husband are the direct ancestors of the current owners of Château de Moncla.
In the 1880s, Château de Moncla was restored in a neo-Gothic style. What remains of the feudal castle is the square ashlar tower and the west facade, which features two former three-lobed windows that have now been bricked up. In the south-west corner, a round tower, built on a square base, was probably used, and still is, to keep watch over the valley.
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