The Château de Branzac is a ruined 15th century
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 ''
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
'' of
Pleaux
Pleaux (; Auvergnat: ''Pleus'') is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France.
Geography
The Maronne river forms the commune's southern border, with the Enchanet reservoir.
Population
Sights
* Château de Branzac, 15th cen ...
in the
Cantal
Cantal (; oc, Cantal or ) is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour, Cantal, Saint ...
''
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.
Being a massive
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
with corner towers, the castle is a picturesque ruin on the end of a promontory.
[Michelin Green Guide ''Auvergne Rhône Valley'', p 53, Michelin (1995) ]
The castle was built as a
manor house or hunting lodge in the 15th century. It was built as a long rectangle with four floors, two rooms per floor. In the centre of the main façade is a tower with a staircase and, on the opposite side, two round corner towers. The castle was ruined when dynamite was used to demolish one of the corner towers, so that materials could be used to build a railway viaduct. The castle was entirely decorated with
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
es made by Italians in 1575, partially covered with more lighthearted scenes in 1610.
[
Privately owned, it has been listed since 1921 as a '']monument historique
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...
'' 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, ...
.[
]
See also
*List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Region and Department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are properly called palaces, mansions or vine ...
References
External links
*
Ruined castles in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Cantal
Monuments historiques of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
{{france-castle-stub