A magical medieval place in Occitanie, France
Residencies and Retreats for Artists
Sleep in a medieval castle, enjoy delicious, local food, walk in the woods, and do your best work.
We are currently renovating this beautiful château and barns to create rest and work spaces for up to four artists, as well as a fully equiped ceramics studio.
Now accepting expressions of interest for residencies in 2024 and 2025. We look forward to hearing from you!
The Castle
The oldest structure at Château Lagauzinie, the square tower, dates back to 1402 when it was part of a much larger castle dominating the hills over the village of Aynac. This beautiful medieval building was then renovated a century later and hosts a round tower with a small chapel, a light-filled salon with views over the hills, and many fascinating historical elements to discover. You may notice a dinosaur’s footprint as you make your way up the stone stairs, giggle at the ancient latrines and enjoy the sunset from the secret prior’s room at the top of the tower. With four hectares of gardens and woods to explore, we are sure that you will find this place as magical as we do.
Residencies and Retreats
We are now accepting expressions of interest for artists’ retreats and residencies in 2024 and 2025. Residencies are for a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of three months in duration. Retreats can be shorter. We are currently working on securing funding for specific projects, though for the moment most residencies will have a fee. We hope to be able to at least partially fund all residencies in the near future!
Please contact us with the following information:
your contact details (email, telephone, website and/or instagram)
what you would like to accomplish during the residency/retreat and how long you would like to stay
any special needs that you may have in terms of accessibility, workspace, tools, etc.
We will get back to you with any additional questions and to discuss your project.
About Us
Château Lagauzinie is the home of sculptor Kartini Thomas and her partner Frédéric. Passionate about supporting artists and creative endeavors, they co-founded the Espace Éclair in Toulouse in 2017. This shared workspace for over 20 long-term resident artists and artisans is now a sparkling light on the scène toulousaine, having created long-lasting ties with the surrounding community and hosting events for art lovers.
When Kartini and Fred found Lagauzinie, they felt immediately that its vocation was to host artists and artisans from all over the world. The four hectares of peaceful gardens and woods, the huge barns and ateliers, not to mention the magical medieval castle… all contribute to make a serene, healthy space in which creative projects can take shape and artistic careers can bloom.
Château Lagauzinie is an artist-run space. As creatives ourselves, we know that the real luxury for an artist is having the time and the space (mental and physical) to coax an idea into fruition. We want to give you this luxury, with residencies that can be as calm or as convivial as you would like, and nourish your creative energy with fantastic, locally grown food and drink. We are also available for moral and technical support, advice about developing your career and the European art scene, and assistance in exploring our beautiful region.