Castelnau-Pégayrols (''Castèlnòu de Leveson in
Occitan Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...
'') is a
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 ...
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 ...
department in southern
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 area ...
. In addition to its castle and three churches it has a unique mediaeval irrigation system recognised in 1996 as of global importance.
Etymology
Since 1884 Castelnau-Pégayrols is the name of the commune. Between 1759-1884 it was written as ''Castelnau-Pégayrolles'' and still sometimes is.
) This is the modern name for ''Castelnau de Lévézou'' which was a translations of the original
occitan Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...
name ''Castèlnòu de Leveson''.
Castèl-nòu was the Occitan, for ''château neuf'', or ''new castle''.
The ''De Lézézou'' family held the castle and the lands around during the early middle ages until it passed to the House of Arpajon in 1289.In 1759,
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...
created the Marquisat de Pégayrolles for ''Hypolite de Pégayrolles'', president of the Toulouse parliament and he took the chateau as his principal residence.
Geography
The territory of the commune includes the villages of Castelnau-Pégayrols, Estàlane and Castelmus, and in 2009 had 326 inhabitants. It is 5316 ha in area, and extends from 488 to 1101m. To the east are dry
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
soils of the
Causse Rouge grazed by the
milking ewes that contribute to
Roquefort cheese
Roquefort is a sheep milk cheese from Southern France, and is one of the world's best known blue cheeses. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-su ...
. These soils make way in the west to the
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
s and
schist
Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes ...
es of the crystalline plateau of the
Lévézou
The Lévézou is a geographical region in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is an impervious crystalline plateau with an average altitude of around 900m. Its highest point is Mont Seigne (1 128 m). Though its borders are not strictly ...
, and the humid
chestnut woods. It is deeply cut by valley of the river
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
, and tributary of the
Tarn.
[ ]
History
The village is in the ancient province of
Rouergue
Rouergue (; ) is a former province of France, corresponding roughly with the modern department of Aveyron. Its historical capital is Rodez. It is bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gévaudan ...
The village was mentioned in the eleventh century when in 1070, ''Aicfred de Lévezou'' donated the village church of St Michel to St Victor's abbey in Marseille, so they could set up a priory. A spring was found in the crypt that had medicinal properties.
A new church was built for the village. ''Arnaud de Lévezou'' was made bishop of Béziers in 1096 and then archbishop of Narbonne in 1112. He had great influence with the papacy and became governor of Toulouse between 1119 and 1121. A new church was built for the village.
This was time of the crusades, de Lévezou participated in the 2nd, 3rd and 7th.
In 1258, ''Bernard de Lévezou'' (Bishop of Bézier) granted privileges to the villagers while the priory was supported by the parishes of Castelnau,
St Beauzély,
Éstalane and Salsac.
On May 3, 1289, ''Bernard de Levezou'' and ''Hugues d'Arpajon'' fought a legal duel. Possession of Castelnau passed to the House of Arpajon, but Castelnau was not their main residence.
During the Arpajon period, the fortress saw peace and conflicts. The Hundred Years' War ended with the
Treaty of Brétigny
The Treaty of Brétigny was a treaty, drafted on 8 May 1360 and ratified on 24 October 1360, between Kings Edward III of England and John II of France. In retrospect, it is seen as having marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years ...
(1360), which gave Rouergue to the English (''Les Anglais''). ''Les Anglais'' was also the name used to describe roving brigands that roamed the countryside during this unstable period, Castelnau was protected by its ramparts.
During the
Wars of Religion
A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...
(1556–1632) the Arpajons of Castelnau became the warrior leaders of the
Protestants. Millau was a Protestant stronghold.
In the 18th century,
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...
created the ''Marquisat de Pégayrolles'' with Castelnau as its principal town. The marquis was Etienne Hypolite de Pegayrolles, President of the
Parliament in Toulouse and the family moved into the chateau and turned it from a mediaeval fortress to a residential chateau and redecorating with ''
trompe-l'œil
''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...
'' paintings. The High Magistrate and "man of letters", Monsieur de Pegayrolles was known by his support of royal power against the Parliaments (1764), and against revolutionary power.
He joined the counter-revolutionaries; he founded a royalist club in
Millau. He died in October 1794, a victim of
the Terror
The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
's jails.
In April 1834, a royal prescription of
Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France.
As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...
creates the commune of Castelnau such that it is today.
Buildings and structures
Château
A castle was built on this strategic rock in the 8th century. It was rebuilt in the 11th century. The south wall of the keep was the strongest with the principal vaulted rooms and two square corner towers. A grand staircase was placed to the north in the 18th century. A 15th century entrance gate displays the coat-of-arms of the two families. Also at this time two wings were added conserving the appearance of a fortress. The core of the village was protected by defensive walls which are mainly intact.
File:CastenauP.jpg,
File:Castelnau-Pégayrols - Château -01.JPG,
File:Castelnau-Pégayrols - Château -02.JPG,
Mediaeval watercourse network
There exists a lodge (pond) feeding a cistern in the castle, from here an underground water course was built leading to three 12th century chestnut and walnut grinding watermills (recorded 1433). Later four were recorded (1640-1763) but only the location of three 15th century mills is known The conduits led into a developed irrigation system for the neighbouring fields, and for a public toilet. The mills were closed by 1953. The underground aqueduct and parts of the mills are being restored (2014).
File:Castelnau-Pégayrols - Réseau hydraulique médiéval -02.JPG,
File:Castelnau-Pégayrols - Réseau hydraulique médiéval -01.JPG,
File:Castelnau-Pégayrols - Réseau hydraulique médiéval -03.JPG,
File:Castelnau-Pégayrols - Réseau hydraulique médiéval -04.JPG,
File:Castelnau-Pégayrols - Réseau hydraulique médiéval -05.JPG,
Prieuré Saint-Michel
Église Saint-Michel
The romanesque church built on Caroligien foundations, becoming a priory church in 1070.
Église Notre-Dame
This is a Romanesque church from the 12th century. .
Population
See also
*
Communes of the Aveyron department
The following is a list of the 285 Communes of France, communes of the Aveyron Departments of France, department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (as of 2020):
*
Rouergue
Rouergue (; ) is a former province of France, corresponding roughly with the modern department of Aveyron. Its historical capital is Rodez. It is bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gévaudan ...
References
External links
Official village website :Castelnau-Pégayrols
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castelnaupegayrols
Communes of Aveyron