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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The tower of Saint-Simon, formerly called the tower of Saint-Sigismon, is a square tower of Romanesque style built in the 12th century in apparatus stone. It was integrated into a network of towers dependent on the abbey of Saint-Géraud d'Aurillac. Its access, located on the third floor, was made by a removable wooden scaffold, strengthening its defensive function. The floors were connected by hatches, ladders or a screw staircase in the wall thickness. Originally, these towers were used to signal Viking incursions via lights on their uncovered sun terrace.

The tower also had an economic role: it served as a silo to keep the grain safe, under the care of local lords called turricular lords. This network of towers, including those of Aurillac (Château Saint-Étienne), Naucelles (current town hall), Faliès and the Château de Laroque, was strategic to control the Lot and Dordogne valleys. The lower room of the tower, now lateral chapel, was once covered in cloister arch and accessible only by an opening in the vault, typical of the Roman dungeons.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1969, the tower of Saint-Simon peaks at 22 meters and has three floors above the ground floor. Although not open to the visit, it remains one of the best preserved Romanesque dungeons of Haute-Auvergne. The adjacent church, also of the 12th century, was partially restored in the 19th and 20th centuries, incorporating a Romanesque portal decorated with rinceaux. The tower illustrates medieval defensive and religious architecture, linked to the influence of Aurillac Abbey in the region.

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