The route of the Lords in Aveyron

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The 24 castles of the Route of the Lords of Rouergue :

1. (1) Le château du Bosc
2. (2) Le château de Bournazel
3. (3) Le château de Brousse
4. (4) Le château de Calmont d'Olt
5. (5) Le Château de Castelnau-Pégayrolles
6. (6) Le château du Colombier
7. (7) Le château de Coupiac
8. (8) Le château de Fayet
9. (9) Le château de Belcastel
10. (10) Le beffroi de Millau
11. (11) Le château de Montaigut
12. (12) Le château de Mouret

• (13) Le château de Najac
• (14) Le château de Peyrelade
• (15) Le château d'Esplas
• (16) Le château de Saint-Beauzély
• (17) Le château de Saint-Izaire
• (18) Le château de Sévérac
• (19) Le château de Taurines
• (20) Le château de Valon
• (21) Le château de Vezins
• (22) La commanderie hospitalière de Lugan
• (23) La tour du Viala de Pas de Jaux
• (24) Le château de Mélac

Family home of the painter Toulouse-Lautrec, le Bosc is a former feudal fortress built in the 15th century and modernised in the 19th. Follow guided tours of the salons, the bedroom of Lautrec with all its childhood memories, and the family museum, showing the artistic nature of the family. Temporary exhibitions are held in the cellar art gallery.

Inner courtyard built in the Florentine style. From the old château to the moat, one can never be sure whether it was man or nature that was the true architect, painter and goldsmith, here. Bournazel is one of the three greatest renaissance sites in the south of France.

This château fortress built in the 9th-17th centuries on the pinnacle of a rock, stands like the prow of a ship. The château has preserved its fortified keep, as well as its covered walkways. It houses exhibitions, paintings, photographs and old tools

Château built in the 11th-15th centuries. See reconstitutions of medieval war machines, and of a siege along with archaeology, panorama. In July and August, there are archery and the fabrication of chain mail armour. An outdoor course of 12 games will test your children's powers of observation, with diplomas awarded.

"The château of the crusades". One of the oldest forteresses in Rouergue dominating the grandiose landscapes of the Parc des Grands Causses. Visit the park which houses the central part of the hydraulic system at Castelnau, the reception rooms, the magnificent apartments and the fortified terrace.

The château of the Comtes de la Panouse for 25 generations. The fortified château and its lands will transport you back in time to the legends of the Middle Ages. You can walk in the animal park and through the medieval gardens. Lots of events and medieval games.

The existence of the château fortress at Coupiac dates back to the year 800, but the existing building was constructed in the 15th century. This is a château fortress just as one imagines them, with round towers, a set on a rocky pinnacle, its narrow slits for windows and rosaces, canons … Circuit for children, exhibitions.

Built on a mound during the renaissance by the Castelnau-Bretenoux, then added to by Jean V d'Arpajon, the château de Fayet is a summer residence where Henri IV is said to have stayed. Beautiful sculptured and ornamented wells. A series of impressive rooms, with painted ceilings and ornate fireplaces.

Built a thousand years ago on a rocky peak, this magnificent fortress towers over one of the ten “Most Beautiful Villages of France” listed in Aveyron. The renowned architect Fernand Pouillon restored it and then chose to live here. For the first time, five new levels are now open to the public. The castle offers stunning vistas and visitors will also enjoy a unique collection of works from the world of illustration, featuring Uderzo, Disney and Peanuts.

The medieval dungeon served as the base of the octagonal tower built in the 17th century, housing the communal bell. The whole forms the belfry. The square tower was probably constructed in the 17th century on the site of the former château of the Comtes de Millau. A private property from the 13th century onwards, it was finally completed by the Consuls in 1613. From that date onwards, it served as a prison, notably during the revolution.

Built in the 10th century on an outcrop dominating the Rougier de Camarès, this château offers beautiful vaulted rooms reached via a spiral staircase, as well as cellars guard room, great hall, kitchens and bedrooms, all of which brings the Middle Ages back to life. Restored by an association over the last thirty years, the château has become a permanent cultural centre.

Listed in its entirety, this historical monument is in perfect condition, after ten years of restoration. It is a rare architectural model which shows us the evolution the evolution of a castle from its defensive beginnings towards more pleasurable preoccupations. The owners will take you on a guided tour, a veritable trip from one century to the next. Each hall displays the architecture of a particular period (12th, 15th, 16th and 17th centuries), with furniture to match that is worthy of a national museum. This visit is rich in anecdotes, highly educational, playful, lively, and refined in atmosphere.

Château built in the 13th century XIII. Site, keep, church, fountain monolith, historic village, Aveyron gorges. Visit of the royal fortress, classified as a historic monument.

Here are the remains of one the largest medieval fortresses in Rouergue. Undergoing restoration work at present, the naturally created dungeon is open to the public. Overlooking the valley and the entry to the gorges du Tarn, Peyrelade was once a strategic site controlling the entrance to the valley and the gorges.

A medieval fortress built in the 14th century, this manor belonging to the Lords de Martrin was besieged by the English during the Hundred Years War. With its four main buildings delimited by towers, Esplas is an example of the architectural evolution between the 14th and 18th centuries. Discovery of the keep and the medieval rooms will take you back to the origins of the Seigneury whilst the visit of the furnished and decorated rooms will illustrate the life of a "summer residence" since the Renaissance. Photographic exhibition.

A museum of rural life, a collection of 2500 exhibits concerning agriculture, rural life and stone masonry. The stone masonry exhibits show stand why Saint-Beauzély is reputed for its quarries. Its masons, notably Déodat Alaus, built the ramparts of the Templar fortresses. There is also a reconstruction of an early 20th century.schoolroom.

The château Episcopal de Saint-Izaire (14th century). has a Signposted circuit, discovery games for children 6-12 years old, and an old things museum. Visit of an underground room only discovered in 1998. There are 20 rooms to visit, in all.

Here is a 13th and 18th century château wirh ramparts, towers, renaissance façade, orientation table. There are demonstrations of medieval cooking int the kitchen, with tastings and recitals evoking the age of the troubadours including presentation and demonstration of instruments. Costumes of the Middle Ages with audio commentary are to be found in the chapel.

13th-15th century château. Restoration work is being undertaken by the traditional builders' guild , les Compagnons du Devoir. Take in contemporary art exhibitions, evening jazz, theatre or walks starting from the château.

The feudal château de Valon, perched like an eagle's nest on a rock overlooking the Gorges de la Truyère 300m below, was built in the 12th century. This medieval site is classed among the most picturesque villages in Aveyron. The houses, built out of schist and roofed with slate tiles, look out over two magnificent and untamed valleys.

From the fortress of Vézian de Vezins (1120) to the monument of today, le Château de Vezins has always remained in the same family. Today, the château (12th-17th century) illustrates the changes in architecture from the Middle Ages through to the 19th century. Historic memories can be revisited with commentary, at the Musée Eugène Viala (1859-1913), Renaud de Vezins (1882-1932) both artists from Lévezou. Visit the vaulted rooms from the Middle Ages and the rooms on the first floor.

This commandery of the 12th century was built by the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. Today, it remains the sole commandery involved in charitable works. See the exhibition and video of the order's role and works.
 

La Tour du Viala de Pas de Jaux is a living illustration of the agro-pastoral vocation of Larzac. It was constucted in 1430 next to the residence of the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem which was built in the 14th century at the request of the village inhabitants, who needed refuge here, in times of war and a place to store their harvested grains. See the restoration work, exhibitions, events and more.