The Château de Belcastel is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

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 ...

in the village and commune of Belcastel, in the

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants o ...

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

'' of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is situated above the north bank of the river

, downstream from

Rodez Rodez ( or ; oc, Rodés, ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the ...

. The oldest part of the castle was constructed in the 9th century, and it grew in the hands of the Belcastel family. Later, for many decades, it was the seat of the famed Saunhac family. The Château de Belcastel was officially declared a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture in 1928. The famous French architect Fernand Pouillon (1912-1986) discovered the castle in ruins in 1974. Pouillon decided to reconstruct the fortress, which had been abandoned since at least the 17th century. Pouillon himself undertook the restoration by hand, along with the help of a dozen Algerian stonemasons, and 10 stained-glass experts. The work was accomplished in eight years, and it called for great courage from Pouillon and his colleagues, due to the size of the undertaking, the castle's dangerous location, and the fact that no machines were used in the reconstruction. Pouillon also undertook the restoration of the village, which is now recognised with the award of the title of one of ''Les Plus Beaux Villages de France'' ("The most beautiful villages in France"). The Château de Belcastel remained the private residence of Pouillon until he died in Belcastel on 24 July 1986. In 2005, the two owners of the AFA Gallery in New York purchased the château and opened it to the public as both a gallery and a historical monument. They have embellished the interior with medieval artifacts and created art galleries within the château, while allowing the medieval fortress and remarkable architecture to remain undisturbed. In 2017, the owner Heidi Leigh created the Heritage of Fernand Pouillon Association to make projects about art and architecture with family, friends and fans of Pouillon. In the same year, the French Ministry of Culture honoured her with a medal, and the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, for her efforts in bringing art, music and masterclasses to France through AFA Gallery to the Chateau de Belcastel. The Château de Belcastel is one of a group of 23 castles in Aveyron which have joined to provide a tourist itinerary as ''La Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue''.Château de Belcastel
on the website of ''La Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue''

Gallery

File:Castle of Belcastel 16.jpg, The village with the castle File:Castle of Belcastel 11.jpg, Another view of the village File:Castle of Belcastel 52.jpg, Detail of the façade File:Castle of Belcastel 14.jpg, Walls plus dungeon File:Château de Belcastel 03.JPG, View of interior File:Château de Belcastel 02.JPG, Castle walls plus moat

References

External links

Official site
*
La Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue

Ségala Belcastel

Club des sites

Fernand Pouillon Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belcastel, Chateau De Castles in Aveyron Monuments historiques of Aveyron Art museums and galleries in France Historic house museums in Occitania (administrative region) Museums in Aveyron

Gallery

See also

References

External links