Château de Saint-Izaire

Saint-Izaire, France

The Château de Saint-Izaire is a 14th-century episcopal castle. It is maintained by an association known as Vie et Château (Life and Castle), who have created a mini museum on the premises to record the history of the castle and the inhabitants of the village of Saint-Izaire.

The castle is a massive quadrangular red stone building that shelters the town hall of the village of Saint-Izaire. The structure is supported by a keep-tower in the southern wing (partially demolished since the 19th century). This keep contains mural frescoes dating from the 14th century, and the ceiling in the room of the bishops in the Baroque style of the 17th century.

The castle was built by Guillaume Rotlindes, ancestor of the current Rollinde de Beaumont. It was intended as a gift to the Abbey of Vabres, close to the commune of Saint-Affrique: the deed attesting the gift is preserved to the present day. The castle was often used as a summer residence by the abbey. When the cathedral and palace of Vabres were razed in the wars of religion, the castle was used by refugees from the abbey.

The Château de Saint-Izaire is one of a group of 23 castles in Aveyron who have joined together to provide a tourist itinerary as the Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue.

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Details

Founded: 14th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Catherine Chauvet (10 months ago)
Chateau remains in its juice but a beautiful journey in history and a very pleasant and kind hostess we had a good time in this chateau July 2022
Lysiane Bonnet (11 months ago)
Magnificent site. We had a wedding there, the setting is idyllic.
Jacqueline GRIVEL (12 months ago)
Very well. 1 hour and a half visit. It is really worth the trip
Hélène Rouzé (13 months ago)
The first time I went to this castle was for my sister's wedding. You can rent the open courtyard part, the outside to park the cars there as well as a covered ground floor part for storage and access to the toilets. Since then, I went back to visit the floors. A numbered booklet takes us to rooms all different in theme, but also in decor. You can go from a Louis XIII bedroom with wood parquet flooring and a beautifully painted ceiling to a small stone kitchen. I know there have been major restoration efforts but there is still a lot to do. There are big cracks, the objects are sometimes piled up, the explanation panels are tedious to read (too much small text and sometimes illegible), little light and a timer that plunges us into darkness. However, this castle has a lot of potential. A good time spent all the same and which takes us some time to go. Diversity of decoration. Portrait room, school room, archery room, period machinery room, period clothing room, bedroom, kitchen, cheese room, shoemaking room with period boots, etc.
Margo Marnette (14 months ago)
Beautiful castle, beautiful setting, located on "le Dourdou, fishing area.
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