A castle and its renovated medieval keep with a stunning view over the surrounding
15 ha of open countryside, on the edge of a historic village between Conques and Espalion
15 ha of open countryside, on the edge of a historic village between Conques and Espalion
Rodez,
AVEYRON
midi-pyrenees
12000
FR
Location
Situated between ancient wheatlands to the north, the Olt valley to the east, vineyards to the west, and the Causse Comtal plateau to the south, the castle is just a short distance from the most beautiful sites of the cultural, historical and natural heritage of Rouergat. It is located a 5-minute walk from a dynamic village, an ancient medieval city of the Counts of Rodez with an orthogonal plan inspired by the “Bastides” (medieval fortified towns). Rodez train station and airport, with flights to Paris, London and Brussels, are 35 minutes away. It takes an hour to drive to the A75.
The very privileged climate of the area, favourable to the cultivation of grapevines and fruit trees, as well as the proximity to Rodez, have attracted religious communities, the nobility and then the bourgeoisie since early times. The dark red wine colour, omnipresent in the architecture, the ploughed fields and the slopes of the hillsides, reinforce the warm and attractive character of this garden landscape.
Description
Built on a southern hillside, on a site that dominates the village 200 m to the east, the castle sits in the heart of nature and cannot be made out from the first buildings of the town. The narrow road leading from the valley to the property ends in front of a barn and a perimeter wall. Past a heavy wooden gate, a driveway bordered by chequered terraces leads to the castle. The land includes fields and forests with a combination of oak, chestnut, ash and walnut trees and, below the castle, old varieties of fig, apple and plum trees. Situated in an old wine-growing area, the building was once surrounded by vines: the ancient unused terraces have disappeared under the cover of the budding oak. A network of pipes linking eight cisterns, still partially accessible, ensured the collection of rainwater in winter and the irrigation of crops. At the rear of the castle, on a terrace maintained by pink sandstone supporting walls, there is a garden followed by a swimming pool. The garden consists of a parterre with four rectangular beds, punctuated with terracotta lanterns. It is accessed from the living room via a glass door. The pool, which faces the setting sun, is edged by a row of trees on the valley side. A footpath leads from the castle to the village.
The castle
The feudal residence reveals its silhouette in a true palette of colours. The shale slate roof reflects alternating bluish and green shades. The walls are lime rendered in a Rougier sandstone colour. The castle, which was built over several centuries, features all the elements of feudalism: an imposing keep abutting a main edifice flanked by a circular stair tower. In the 19th century, a second building and its adjoining pepperpot turret were added to the south, on the site of an earlier building. Numerous loopholes testify to the defensive function of the site. The three buildings that make up the residence are connected on the inside. The 19th century building and the cellars are served by the spiral staircase of the central tower. The keep has its own narrower spiral staircase. The 16th century building, situated between the two previous ones, benefits from the two staircases. Movement between the buildings is thereby facilitated, which makes the castle easy to live in. From the panoramic lookouts at the top of the keep and the stair tower, the view extends over the roofs of the castle and the surrounding landscape. The ensemble is a listed site (SI).
The 19th century building
This edifice forms an L-shape around the central circular tower to which it is attached. Its hipped roof has dormer windows. It has windows with straight lintels on the east side and with a segmental arch on the south side, where a balcony adorns the facade. It is supported by arcades with keystones bearing the initials of the builder and the date 1837, and offers a view over the valley.
The main entrance to the castle, located in the stair tower, is topped by a recess and a vertical row of windows, the last of which has retained the remains of a brattice. A sturdy, chamfered wooden door opens onto the landing of the spiral staircase and provides access to the building.
The ground floor
The spacious sitting room is lit by numerous windows that open onto the balcony and garden. The walls feature wainscoting and are painted with limewash. A delicate pattern divides them into rectangular panels, with fine garlands drawn inside. Above the doors, a painted frame surrounds a still life of a fruit bowl surrounded by botanical motifs. The flooring is ladder parquet. The Charles X style decor of the fireplace bears witness to the softening of shapes in this period: its mantel is adorned with running foliage and volutes. It is topped by an ornamental mirror and framed by two glass doors opening onto the kitchen. The kitchen features a skylight in the ceiling and is very well lit. It rests on the north wall of the pink sandstone staircase tower, into which a doorway has been cut. On the opposite side, a French window opens onto the balcony. This balcony is not overlooked and in the evening, the heat from the sun soaked up by the stones can be enjoyed. In a corner, a small wooden door provides access to a larder located in the pepperpot turret. Covered by a small dome, the walls reveal cross-shaped archways and embrasures. A splayed window allows light to enter.
The first floor
This level starts with a corridor leading to two bedrooms, each with a shower room and toilet, just like all the bedrooms in the castle.
The first is lit by two windows, one of which is tall, small-paned and closed by a vertical bar. The room has straight strip parquet flooring. The floor of the second, more spacious bedroom is herringbone parquet. Here, the window has a segmental arch.
At the end of the corridor, a door leads to a mezzanine overlooking the kitchen, lit by a large window, and to the top level of the pepperpot turret with the dragon beam on which the roof structure is built.
The attic
The landing on the second floor of the central tower provides access to a bedroom in the attic. The attic space is vast and entirely panelled in wood. The old fastening system for the slates can still be seen in the form of wooden nails protruding from the roof boards. Punctuated by the tie beams and rafters of the roof structure, it is lit by square windows with frames forming a gable roof.
The cellar
They are accessed via the spiral staircase in the central tower. In the centre of the largest cellar, two wooden posts support the upper floor. They stand on stone plinths and the ceiling is adorned with ceiling staves. A large wooden door opens onto the terrace under the balcony. The cellars comprise two other rooms, one of which has an arched ceiling and is built directly on the rock.
The 16th century building
Square in plan, it stands between the central circular tower and the keep. Its gable roof has dormer windows. The first floor features cross windows with flat external mouldings. A small service building, added later on, forms an extension alongside the keep.
The ground floor
The doors leading to the dining room mark the transition to a universe dominated by stone. The ceiling has two cross barrel vaults, the walls are pointed and the stone door and fireplace surrounds left exposed. The patinated terracotta tile flooring echoes the exposed stone walls. The large built-in fireplace firmly asserts its presence in the room. The segmental arch lintel key bears a round crest engraved stone dated 1592: it represents a tree with a dragon perched in it, in the centre of a crown. The fireplace, in which not only an insert, but also a bread oven, wall niches and an ashtray are to be found, shows that this room was originally intended for domestic use. The windows are fitted with an internal shutter with panels adorned with napkin patterns. In one corner, a wooden door leads to a service entrance, also used as a larder, in which a bread oven has been installed.
The first floor
On this level is the main room of the castle, of generous proportions. The subtle cream-coloured variations of the lime-washed walls are echoed by a large frieze of grey foliage on a red background that runs along the walls, close to the floor. The room is illuminated by two cross windows: they are set in embrasures reminiscent of the wall frieze and bear stained glass panes on the theme of chivalrous love. They are fitted with painted interior wooden shutters, and one features window seats. The ceiling with exposed beams and joists is painted in shades of dark red wine and the floor is laid with red sandstone tiles. A few steps lead up to the grand fireplace: the segmental arch lintel is topped by a hood with a painted coat of arms, and the base of the jambs is embellished with prismatic mouldings. An insert hangs over the fireplace.
In a corner of the room, a door opens to a bedroom in the service wing. Topped by a single-pitch roof, its red sandstone wall has long rafters resting on wooden corbels.
The attic
On the top floor of the building, in an attic with half-height walls, is a large room with potential for conversion. It is lit by dormer windows and features a large chimney flue on one wall.
The keep
Unique in its shape, this is one of the few round medieval keeps built in Aveyron. Initially topped by machicolations, the keep expands on the side of the building to form a square plan. It is widened at the base by a stone impasto, and the round-edged hip roof stretches to the ridge. It has transom windows, the vertical frames of which are crowned with fleur-de-lis. Indoors, all the rooms have a square floor plan and a vaulted ceiling.
The ground floor
The entrance door to the keep, located in the dining room, is embellished with chamfered mouldings. Once past the spiral staircase, a vast room opens up, the walls of which are of exposed stone. The walls are two metres thick at their base and rest directly on the rock. A built-in segmental arch fireplace with a round insert in the hearth abuts the dining room fireplace. The wall on either side of the high-placed window widens halfway up to let the light pour in.
The first floor
The second room of the keep is rendered with an extremely delicate whitewash that reveals the stone frames of the door and the fireplace and matches the floor tiles. The built-in segmental arch chimney features loopholes in the hearth. Opposite, a wooden partition that runs the length of the room hides a shower room. The square windows are fitted with interior wooden shutters, just as all the other openings in the keep.
The second floor
The third vaulted room is lit by two half-mullioned windows. The matt whitewash on the walls reflects the light in infinite variations, in a palette of light and natural colours. A shower room is hidden behind a wooden partition where the chimney flue used to be. The floor is laid with beige tiles.
The third floor
Here, the roof vault is oriented in the opposite direction to those of the previous floors in order to balance the structure. Two transom windows let in the light, and the shower room is partly hidden behind wooden partitions.
The attic
A miller's ladder and a trap door provide access to the attic. The roof structure, built in the 18th century, simply rests on top of the keep. It is built with two superimposed frames, one of which is only a few centimetres from the red sandstone floor. A roof window opens onto a lookout with a view over the surrounding hills.
The outbuildings
They consist of a barn and a “Secadou” used to dry chestnuts.
The barn
Located in front and in the extension of the surrounding wall, the two-storey red sandstone building contains the entrance gate to the castle. Originally vaulted on the ground floor, its extensive volumes suggest multiple uses: sheep barn, stable, workshop, wine cellar or woodshed, etc.
The fruit cellar
Behind the surrounding wall, the old chestnut drying shed is a small rectangular building with a schist slate gable roof accessed through a wooden door.
Our opinion
Strikingly homogeneous, the castle bears witness to the feudal era with its rugged structures and its organisation, to the nascent Renaissance with the decor of the doors and fireplaces, and to the modernity of the 19th century through the comfort and light provided by the last extension. It presents a transitional architectural style and marks the beginning of the influence of the Renaissance in Aveyron. The quality and refinement of the restoration work is exemplary. The presence of wood and the natural, bright colours of the rendering and interior decorations have softened its imposing silhouette and made it comfortable and pleasant to live in. The spaces to be developed, the formerly cultivated land and the underground water reserves to be rehabilitated are all sources of inspiration that open up a large range of possibilities.
Reference 765975
| Land registry surface area | 15 ha 22 a 44 ca |
| Main building surface area | 402 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 7 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 180 m2 |
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
