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CASTLES
 Château
de Coupiac
For the year 800, Coupiac's village lives around a castle and around its
history. Many Lords are past there : Counts of, please, Rodez to Panat's
family... It is the property of the municipality today. The current
building(ship) dates the XV-th century. Ce Château-fort was built on a cliff
in the center of the village. This castle is impressive by its dimensions,
its round towers of angle, its machicolations, latrines and murderesses, its
windows of Gothic architecture. A circuit of visit allows to discover all
the beautiful rooms as well as all its architectural wealth. Managed by the
association "Los Amics del Castel de Copiac", it(he) is bit by bit restored,
animated and lives with the population. All this patrimony allows to the
association to welcome you in the middle of this cuturel centre which is
also a meeting place.
Château de
Brousse
Château-fort built in the X-th century on a cliff dominating the village, it(he)
occupies a lengthened(stretched out) platform looking like the bow of a
vessel. This castle kept(preserved) its surrounding wall(speaker)
strengthened as well as a big part(party) of its covered way. Tours, lodging
house of the officers, seigneurial place of residence, baker's oven,
dovecotes, wells - cisterns, murderesses, prison, latrines, machicolation...
You can discover in the castle of the exhibitions of paintings, tapestry,
photos, former(ancient) tools. To visit in July and August from 10. 00 till
19. 00, nonstop. The rest of the year from 14. 00 till 18. 00.
 Château
de Montaigut
Fort built in the X-th century on a rocky spur
dominating Rougier de Camarès. One can there see beautiful arched rooms
served by a spiral staircase, a storeroom, a room of nurses and by the
graves of the high Means - age, the cistern cut in the cliff. to see also
big room, kitchen and rooms which(who) testify of the daily life in
Moyen-Age. The Castle was restored by an association during the last thirty
years, it became now a permanent centre of cultural activity. The visits :
From March 30 till November 1-st of 10. 00 in 12 h00 and 14 hour 30 in 18 a
hour 30. In July and August 10 hour 00 in 18 a hour 30.
 Château
de Latour sur Sorgues
Latour's castle was reshaped in different times (XII-XV-XVI-th). It(he) was
built on a cliff dominating the river Sorgues. By its restored stones,
returns the memory of the men(people). Besides the conducted tours, it(he)
shelters the reconstruction of a cell of moniale cloistered (Nonenque's
abbey nearby, permanent exhibition) and temporary exhibitions. All year long
different "evenings in the castle" are proposed, classical, operatic(lyric)
music, French song, tells etc.... The visits : from May 1-st till September
15 from 10. 00 till 12. 00 and from 14. 00 till 19. 00.
 Château
du Bosc Toulouse-Lautrec
Snuggled up in the middle of green prairies, the castle of Bosc sheltered
the happy childhood of Toulouse-Lautrec . This castle of the XII-th century
(reconstructed to the XV-th) which was never sold, conceals the
recollections of the painter and its family circle. The neuveux small
welcome you in this medieval castle richly furnished. Toulouse-Lautrec is
present in lounges(shows) and through a set of posters, of lithographies and
of his first drawings. The summer conducted tour of the castle and the rooms
of exhibition, of one hour(o'clock), every day from 10 o'clock till 12
o'clock and from 14 o'clock till 19 o'clock. Possibility of conducted tour
all year from 9 o'clock till 19 o'clock. Booking for the groups all year
long. to note : Near the castle, the wall frescoes of Camjac's church.
 Château
de Séverac
Of medieval time reached us, the chapel, the watchtowers and the north wall.
In the Renaissance, first works of restoration begun, in 1607 by Jean V d'
Arpajon, with the Florentine architect Sébastiano Gargioli ; Louis duke of
Arpajon, his son, will finish the works which made(did) of its castle a
princely house, it is these vestiges which one visits today. In the kitchen
of the castle are organized animations on the kitchen of Moyen-Age (with
tasting) and at the time the troubadours (presentation and demonstration of
instruments) as well as the suits of Moyen-Age with sound comments in the
chapel. Games of discovery for the children on the subject of "Geoffroy the
small ghost" are foreseen in the castle.
 Palais
de la Berbie
Berbie's name derives from the occitan bisbia, the bishop's palace. The most
former(ancient) elements of this episcopal castle go back up(raise) in the
years 1240-1245, but it is Bernard de Combret and Bernard de Castanet which
make(do) it, between 1254 and 1307, an asserting fortress, in front of
albigeois, to the heretics and to the officers of king, the power of the
bishops and the church. This last one flanked(threw) the building of a
massive donjon, the Tower Witch, restored in the XVIII-th century, amounting
to 50 metres above the Tarn. It is there, that the bishops installed(settled)
their apartments and their private chapel. Berbie joins in the family of
palaces - fortresses, where it precedes the palace of the Popes of Avignon .
In a context different, the bishops try hard from the end of the XV-th
century to confer more enjoyment(approval) on their place of residence.
Louis Amboise (1474-1503) makes raise(draw up) towards(as for) the city a
body of building(ship) and a gallery the Renaissance covered with slate
roofs. Daillon du Lude (1635-1676) installs(settles) there lounges(shows)
which a magnificent stair allows to reach. In the time of his(her) successor,
Hyacinthe Serron first archbishop of Albi , a formal garden comes to occupy
the farmyard whereas curtains following the river are transformed in to
promenoir, finally, the resumption from the inside of the Tower Witch is
made in the XVIII-th century. This monument enters in the field of the
department, with the law of separation of Churches and the State ( 1905 ).
 Château
de Saint-Izaire
Fortified castle built in the fourteenth century, all in pink sandstone,
dominating the fortified village. Its exceptional setting occurred that in
the fourteenth century it became the summer Residence of the bishops coming
from Vabres. The visits are free with documentation given to you. Games of
discovery for children from 2 to 6 years old are organized. You can also
visit a subterranean room which was discovered in October 1998. Actually
there are twenty rooms to discover during the visit. We advise you to go and
visit : Museum of traditional Art in which plenty of yesteryear objects are
exhibited. Dates and hours of visits : From May the first till September the
thirtieth from 11. 00 till 19. 00. Off season only on appointment.
 Château
de Belcastel
A masterpiece of architecture in one of the most beautiful small villages of
France among Rodez and Villefranche-de-Rouergue . Of austere chapel was
built in the X-th century in the surprising restoration by the architect
Fernand Pouillon in the XX-th century, Belcastel is a true strong castle
with his(her) staves(moats), his(her) drawbridge, his(her) donjon. Belcastel
offers you two routes(courses) of visits which will give you a vision very
different from the castle. The first route(course) redraws the history of
the monument and details(retails) the warlike and religious characters of
the castle (individual commented visit or in group, lasted the 1 hour), the
other route(course) (commented visit, on meeting only) will pull(entail) you
in the most secret parts(parties) to make you discover Fernand Pouillon's
talent in its magnificent work of restoration. Belcastel's castle it is also
exhibitions : - Ceramic contemporaries, from April till July, exhibition
temporary, and permanently: C. Champy, B. Pénicaud, F. Rousseaux, C. Vanier,
C. Varlan. - Architecture, every year from July till November, glances on
Fernand Pouillon's work. And if you wish to stay some days or more at
Belcastel's castle of the exceptional apartments with private swimming pool,
and near excellent restoration, tennis, golf, equitation, drive(ride) are
for the rent.
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