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Origin and history

The castle of Carbonat, mentioned in 1232, was a medieval fortress dependent on the seigneury of Conros. It was hired by Astorg d'Orlhac to Géraud d'Auzolles and sold in 1308 to Géraud de Puzols, a wealthy bourgeois of Aurillac. The latter or his descendants had the first castle built, marking the beginning of his feudal history.

In the 16th century, the castle played a military role during the Wars of Religion. In 1569 his lord was appointed to defend the strongholds against the Huguenots. In 1577, a fight between Catholics and Protestants took place near the castle, culminating in the death of Louis de Brezons, captain of the light horses.

The Puzols family, anobligated in the 15th century, kept the castle until 1657, when it was sold to Charles de Montvallat. Passefons' family, now Passefons de Carbonat, owned it for more than 200 years. In the 20th century, the castle, then in ruins, was restored in a Belle Époque style, although criticized for its changes considered defigurative.

The name Carbonat comes from the term carbonatum, meaning a place of production of charcoal, a common activity in the region in the Middle Ages. The archives attest to its variable spelling since 1232, reflecting its linguistic and historical evolution.

Before the Revolution, Carbonat was a fief governed by written law, the seat of medium and low justice. It depended on Aurillac's bailiff and played a local administrative role. The Passefons family, notable in the region, exerted a lasting influence until the 19th century.

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