Château de Grézan Art & Culture Centre, Gothic Revival castle and art center in Laurens, France

Château de Grézan is a Gothic Revival castle in Laurens, its light beige stone facade combining a tall left wing with a steep grey conical roof and small spire, a central section with crenellated parapet and carved stone balcony above three round-headed arches, and a right wing under a pyramidal grey roof. A curtain wall of rough grey and tan stones with square crenellations and round towers, one pierced by a vertical slit, encloses the grounds.

The building originated as an agricultural estate and Knights of Saint John commandery before undergoing major reconstruction from 1820 to 1888. Architect Louis Garros completed the transformation in 1890, reshaping it into its current Gothic form.

The castle's name comes from the Grézan estate, an old agricultural terroir that became a Hospitaller commandery of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. In the 19th century the estate was turned into a wine-growing domaine, and the crenellated ramparts several hundred metres long were built only at the end of that century, after Gabriel Mirepoix asked architect Louis Garros to "Faites-moi du Carcassonne".

The castle stands in the commune of Laurens in the Hérault department, at the coordinates 43.50444, 3.19384. The crenellated wall of several hundred metres is best seen from the dirt path that runs alongside it. The building is private and not open as a regular museum, so visits must be arranged in advance.

Gabriel Mirepoix, who owned the estate, told architect Louis Garros simply "Faites-moi du Carcassonne" — make me a Carcassonne. The curtain wall of several hundred metres, with its crenellations and round towers, was therefore built at the end of the 19th century, not in the Middle Ages, and only looks medieval.