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Origin and history

The castle of Saint-Saturnin, located in Lozère in the former Gevaudan, is mentioned from the thirteenth century as a royal possession used to lock the border between the domain of the king of France and the Rouergue. Built on an almost square plane, it is bounded by three round towers and a medieval square dungeon crowned with mâchicoulis, probably dating from the late 13th or early 14th century. This dungeon, the only remaining royal vestige in the Lot Valley, bears witness to the conflicts between the king of France and the bishop of Mende, during which the castles were strengthened.

From 1307 to 1656, the castle belonged to the powerful family of Montferrand, close relatives of Pope Urbain V, then passed into the hands of the Cenarets. In the 16th century, Antoine II of the Saint Vidal Tower, the seigneur of the place, undertook important works of beautification, including the south facade and a west wing linking the house body to the northwest tower. The castle then becomes a complete quadrilateral, sheltering houses, stables and ovens. During the Wars of Religion, he served as a royal garrison, illustrating his strategic role in the region.

In the mid-17th century (1649), a new house was built, as evidenced by a key to the arch found in the ruins. However, abandoned from the 19th century, the castle fell into ruins: in 1968, the national inventory described it as delabrated, with collapsed floors and architectural elements sold (like the Renaissance gate, transferred to the castle of the Caze). The square tower, almost intact, remains a rare example of a royal dungeon in the region.

In 1995, the castle was registered with the Historical Monuments thanks to the intervention of a family attached to the Gevaudan, which undertook an integral restoration from the plans and archives. The work allows the building to be restored stone by stone, saving the building from destruction. Today, the castle, a private property, preserves its three round towers and its square dungeon, covered with slate, as well as the remains of its stone wall staircase and its medieval trilobed bays.

A medieval legend surrounds the castle: passengers who must greet the lords under penalty of imprisonment. Those who omited the ritual were locked up, then forced to dance on burning stones to regain their freedom. This account illustrates the arbitrary power of local lords and feudal customs of the time.

The last owner, Casimir d'Yzarn de Freissinet de Valady, bequeathed the castle to the bishopric of Mende in 1905. The sale will finance the neo-Gothic portal of the cathedral. The coat of arms of the family, visible on the portal sold at the Château de la Caze, recall their long possession of the places, marked by major transformations in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

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