The Château de Peyrelade is a ruined
castle 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
Rivière-sur-Tarn 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 ...
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.
The name is derived from the
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 ...
"''Pèira Lada''", meaning wide rock; an accurate description of the site. Objects found on the site suggest it was inhabited in prehistoric times.
Thanks to its position controlling the entrance to the
gorges du Tarn
The Gorges du Tarn ( oc, Gòrjas de Tarn) is a canyon formed by the Tarn (river) between the Causse Méjean and the Causse de Sauveterre, in southern France. The canyon, mainly located in the Lozère ''département'', and partially in the Aveyro ...
, it was one of the most important castles in the
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 ...
province. It existed at least as far back as the 12th century, and was the scene of incessant battles and sieges until 1633 when it was dismantled on the orders of
Richelieu.
[
The ruins give a good idea of the layout of the castle. The outer wall was more than 250m (~800 ft) long, 10m (~33 ft) high and 2.1m (~7 ft) thick. The castle was dominated by a natural rock keep more than 50m (~163 ft) high, accessible only from a round tower attached to it.][
The Château de Peyrelade is one of a group of 23 castles in Aveyron which have joined together to provide a tourist itinerary as ''La Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue''. Château de Peyrelade is open to visitors from mid-June to mid-September.''Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue'' website]
/ref>
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
Château de Peyrelade
on La Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue website with photo
''Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue'' website, with photos
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peyrelade, Chateau de
Châteaux in Aveyron
Monuments historiques of Aveyron
Ruined castles in Occitania (administrative region)