The Château de Belcastel is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

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 ...

in the village and commune of Belcastel, in the

Aveyron Aveyron (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron (river), Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyro ...

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 ...

. It is situated above the north bank of the river

, downstream from

Rodez Rodez (, , ; , ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the communau ...

. The oldest part of the castle was constructed in the 9th century, and it grew in the hands of the Belcastel family. Later, for many decades, it was the seat of the famed Saunhac family. The Château de Belcastel was officially declared a historic monument 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 ...

in 1928. The famous French architect

Fernand Pouillon Fernand Pouillon (14 May 1912 – 24 July 1986) was a French architect, urban planner, building contractor and writer. Pouillon was one of the most active and influential post-World War II architects and builders in France. He is remembered for ...

(1912-1986) discovered the castle in ruins in 1974. Pouillon decided to reconstruct the fortress, which had been abandoned since at least the 17th century. Pouillon himself undertook the restoration by hand, along with the help of a dozen Algerian stonemasons, and 10 stained-glass experts. The work was accomplished in eight years, and it called for great courage from Pouillon and his colleagues, due to the size of the undertaking, the castle's dangerous location, and the fact that no machines were used in the reconstruction. Pouillon also undertook the restoration of the village, which is now recognised with the award of the title of one of ''

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...

'' ("The most beautiful villages in France"). The Château de Belcastel remained the private residence of Pouillon until he died in Belcastel on 24 July 1986. In 2005, the two owners of the AFA Gallery in New York purchased the château and opened it to the public as both a gallery and a historical monument. They have embellished the interior with medieval artifacts and created art galleries within the château, while allowing the medieval fortress and remarkable architecture to remain undisturbed. In 2017, the owner Heidi Leigh created the Heritage of Fernand Pouillon Association to make projects about art and architecture with family, friends and fans of Pouillon. In the same year, the French Ministry of Culture honoured her with a medal, and the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, for her efforts in bringing art, music and masterclasses to France through AFA Gallery to the Chateau de Belcastel. The Château de Belcastel is one of a group of 23 castles in Aveyron which have joined to provide a tourist itinerary as ''La

Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue The ''Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue'' (Route of the Lords of Rouergue) is a tourist itinerary established in the Aveyron ''département'' of France, grouping together 21 separate sites in the former province of Rouergue. In French, most of the s ...

''.Château de Belcastel
on the website of ''La Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue''

Gallery

File:Castle of Belcastel 16.jpg, The village with the castle File:Castle of Belcastel 11.jpg, Another view of the village File:Castle of Belcastel 52.jpg, Detail of the façade File:Castle of Belcastel 14.jpg, Walls plus dungeon File:Château de Belcastel 03.JPG, View of interior File:Château de Belcastel 02.JPG, Castle walls plus moat

References

External links

Official site
*
La Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue

Ségala Belcastel

Club des sites

Fernand Pouillon Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belcastel, Chateau De Castles in Aveyron Monuments historiques of Aveyron Art museums and galleries in France Historic house museums in Occitania (administrative region) Museums in Aveyron

Gallery

See also

References

External links