Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Ariges is a 17th century building, built on the site of an old farmhouse in Bédouès, Lozère. In 1658, the Chapelain family acquired the estate and erected a chapel there before expanding the house into a castle. In 1724, it is already mentioned as a castle in good condition in the archives of Abbé L'Ouvreleul. In the 19th century, the estate extended through the acquisition of neighbouring lands, reflecting the growing influence of its owners.

In the 18th century, the castle passed into the hands of the Fare family, which deeply marked local history. Jean Cabot, who became Cabot de la Fare after his acquisition in 1730, and his descendant Charles, who proclaimed himself Marquis, transformed the estate and the village. Their reign, marked by initiatives such as the creation of a girls' work place and the financing of a kindergarten, extends over a century and a half. Their coat of arms, with three golden sculpins, still adorns the entrance gate.

The castle, visible from the Tarn Gorges and Stevenson Road, consists of a central body flanked by two wings: the south wing with a tower of 20 meters, and the north wing housing stables and barn, extended by a Renaissance chapel. The estate, once planted with vines and equipped with an ingenious irrigation system (two beals), fell into disuse in the 20th century. Unoccupied since the 1950s, it is now being renovated by private owners and is not visiting.

The castle was briefly used as a setting for the film Scout always... (1985) by Gérard Jugnot. Its history reflects the social changes of the Cevennes, between sericulture, education of girls and rural decline. The chapel of Saint-Saturnin, which became a family tomb, and the villa of Sainte-Marthe (a house built in the 19th century) bear witness to the legacy of the Cabot de la Fare.

Architecturally, the castle illustrates the adaptation of a seigneurial residence to the cevenole constraints: dominant position on a meander of the Tarn, hydraulic systems for agriculture, and integration into a landscape marked by gorges and historic roads (D998, Stevenson Road). Its gradual abandonment in the 20th century contrasts with its central role in the 18th and 19th centuries, where it structured the economic and social life of Bédouès.

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