Details
Founded: 13th centuryCategory: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)
Interesting Sites Nearby
User Reviews
The Château de Miral overlooks the confluent of the Runes River and Tarn River. It belonged in the 13th century to the Cahbrieres family and from the 14th century to the Malbosc family.
Its keep was built towards the end of the 13th century as the seat of the Malbosc-Miral family. Its ramparts defended access to the upper Tarn valley. From the 14th to the 16th centuries, the Lords of Malbosc-Miral constructed their residence and outbuildings around the keep.
At the time of the French Revolution, the last proprietor, Charles, Count of Altier was guillotined with his son in 1794 and the castle was sold for 34,719 livres in 1796. The castle began to decline into ruins. Restoration work on the castle began in 1980.
Dating from the 13th century, the castle was closely related to the history of the disorders and wars in Gévaudan over five centuries. The fortifications include a massive square keep with a high round tower on one side, an assortment of buildingss and defensive works. Mullioned windows in the old seigniorial residence and the interior murals in the vault and the western building date from the Renaissance. The military architecture of 13th and 14th centuries is evident from the use of a natural defensive site with a double enceinte. It was an important local seigniory which exploited nearby silver mines. The castle has carved and painted decorations, one of the few civil buildings in this area to have preserved them.
References:The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.
The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.
Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.