The Château de Montaigut is a
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 French ''
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
Gissac in the ''
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
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 ...
. It is a
listed monument
Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management (CRM), although it also draws on the practices of cultural conservation, restoration, museology, arch ...
since 1987.
The first traces of the Château de Montaigut date from the 10th century.
[ Built on a rocky outcrop dominating the valley of the Dourdou de Camarès river, it defended the town of ]Saint-Affrique
Saint-Affrique (; Languedocien: ''Sant Africa'') is a commune in the Aveyron department in Southern France.
History
Saint-Affrique grew in the 6th century around the tomb of St. Africain, bishop of Comminges. In the 12th century a fortress ...
against attacks from the south. Enlarged and transformed in the 15th century by the Blanc family, it was restored several times before falling into ruin. The association ''Amis du château de Montaigut'', which took ownership in 1968, undertook a massive restoration. The castle was finally restored in 1989.Middle Ages
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 period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
necropolis
A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead".
The term usually im ...
.[
The castle has vaulted rooms served by a spiral staircase, a cellar, a cistern carved in the rock, a guard room and prison, bedrooms and kitchens. The plasterworks are from the 17th century.
Today, the castle has become a permanent centre for cultural events. It is one of a group of 23 castles in Aveyron which have joined together to provide a tourist itinerary as the '' Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue''.
]
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 ...
* Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue
References
External links
Montaigut on the Aveyron website
''Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue'' website
*
Castles in Aveyron
Monuments historiques of Aveyron
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