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Origin and history

The castle of Messac, located in the commune of Reilhac (Cantal), overlooks the former royal road linking Aurillac to Mauriac and controlled a ford on the Baÿsse, tributary of the Authre. Its toponym Metiacum, of Gallo-Roman origin, evokes a rural domain of Diocletian cadastre. The current house body, backed by a medieval round tower with arched vaults, was enlarged in the 16th century by a wing of appentis to the arched bays and arches in basket coves. Subsequent additions (East wing and South square tower) date from the late 19th century, sponsored by General Léon Prax.

Messac was a fief dependent on the abbots of Aurillac, then the lords of Conrot, before being possessed by chivalrous families attested from the thirteenth century, such as the Messacs, the Guard of the Saignes, or the Caissacs of Sediges. The site housed a local justice until the 17th century and a farm with mountains in Girgols. Sold as a national good at the Revolution, he passed into the hands of the Prax families (including several generals), Canal, then Maitrier. Its charter, containing acts from the 13th to the 18th century, is preserved in the Departmental Archives of the Cantal.

In the Middle Ages, the knights of Messac, such as Astorg (mentioned in 1258) or Guy (14th century), served the Viscounts of Carlat. The seigneury changed hands by alliances: the Guard of Saignes (XVth–XVIth centuries) gave Messac to the Caissac, including François (1545–1618), a gentleman of the king and a member of the order of Saint Michael. In the 17th century Alexander de Caissac, lord of the place, was buried there in 1658. The weapons of the Messacs, "a chevron broken with stars", appear on their tomb at the church of Reilhac.

In modern times, Messac became the property of the Leotoing of Anthony before being confiscated in 1791. The lawyer Jean Prax acquired in 1802; his descendant, General Jean-Louis Prax (1786–77), Mayor of Reilhac, made transformations there. In the 20th century, the industrialist Pierre Canal had the castle restored by architect Georges Breuil (plans archived in 2001). The Maitrier family, including Colonel Louis (1898–1984), was the last notable owner. The park and architectural elements (medieval tower, Renaissance wings) bear witness to its evolution.

The site preserves traces of its military role: in 1387, Guiot de Messac was among the gunmen summoned for the Viscount of Carlat. In 1533 the lord of Messac, a man of the Church, was represented to the bans. The charterer, including feudal tributes, and the archives of the Prax family (three generations of soldiers) complete his history. Today, the castle illustrates the seigneurial and architectural heritage of the Haute-Auvergne, between the Middle Ages and the contemporary era.

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