The Château d'Alleuze is a ruined

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

situated in the commune of Alleuze, in the

Cantal Cantal (; or ) is a rural 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-Flou ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Built in the 13th century by the constables of

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...

, it belonged to the bishops of Clermont. During the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a c ...

it was seized for the English by Bernard de Garlan. For seven years, he sowed terror throughout the region, pillaging and holding to ransom. To avoid troubles from any Garlan successors, the inhabitants of Saint-Flour burned down the castle in 1405. Monseigneur De la Tour, owner of the castle, was very upset with this gesture, and obliged the Sanflorains to rebuild it on the original plan. It was taken by

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

in 1575. The towers were used as jails by the bishops of Clermont. The castle is built on a square plan, with round towers in each corner, characteristic of the 14th century. It includes a chapel, Saint-Illide, built in the 13th and 15th centuries. Today, the edifice is maintained as a ruin and has been listed, along with the chapel, since 1927 as a ''

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 collection of buildings, ...

'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...

. According to the Michelin Green Guide to the Auvergne and Rhône Valley, which rates it as two stars ("worth a detour"), "There can scarcely be another beauty spot in the Auvergne as romantic as the site of this castle."

Gallery

File:Truyère Château d'Alleuze.jpg,

Truyère The Truyère () is a river in south-western France, right tributary of the Lot (river), Lot. Its source is in the south-western Massif Central, north of Mende, Lozère, Mende. It flows generally west through the following ''département in France ...

river and Château d'Alleuze Château D’Alleuze.jpg Image:Chateau Alleuze 3.png Image:Aleuze.jpg File:Château d’Alleuze inside.jpg, interior File:Château d’Alleuzeinside2.jpg, interior

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alleuze, chateau Houses completed in the 13th century Houses completed in the 15th century Ruined castles in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Monuments historiques of Cantal Cantal

Gallery

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