The Château d'Alleuze is a ruined

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

situated in the commune of

Alleuze Alleuze (; oc, Alueisa) is a commune in the Cantal department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative div ...

, in the

Cantal Cantal (; oc, Cantal or ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, with its prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour (the episcopal see) and Mauriac; its residents are known as Cantalians ( ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...

'' of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. Built in the 13th century by the constables of

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auve ...

, it belonged to the bishops of Clermont. During the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantage ...

it was seized for the English by Bernard de Garlan. For seven years, he sowed terror throughout the region, pillaging and holding to ransom. To avoid troubles from any Garlan successors, the inhabitants of Saint-Flour burned down the castle in 1405. Monseigneur De la Tour, owner of the castle, was very upset with this gesture, and obliged the Sanflorains to rebuild it on the original plan. It was taken by

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Bez ...

in 1575. The towers were used as jails by the bishops of Clermont. The castle is built on a square plan, with round towers in each corner, characteristic of the 14th century. It includes a chapel,

Saint-Illide Saint-Illide is a commune in the Cantal department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a ...

, built in the 13th and 15th centuries. Today, the edifice is maintained as a ruin and has been listed, along with the chapel, since 1927 as a '' monument historique'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual ...

. According to the

Michelin Green Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

to the Auvergne and Rhône Valley, which rates it as two stars ("worth a detour"), "There can scarcely be another beauty spot in the Auvergne as romantic as the site of this castle."

Gallery

File:Truyère Château d'Alleuze.jpg, Truyère river and Château d'Alleuze Château D’Alleuze.jpg Image:Chateau Alleuze 3.png Image:Aleuze.jpg File:Château d’Alleuze inside.jpg, interior File:Château d’Alleuzeinside2.jpg, interior

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alleuze, chateau Houses completed in the 13th century Houses completed in the 15th century Ruined castles in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Monuments historiques of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cantal

Gallery

See also

References

External links