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Origin and history

Le château de Celles is a castle in the village of Carlat in the Cantal department (region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes). This monument consists of a main house with a pavilion, flanked by two towers with conical roofs, as well as a dovecote built into the stair tower. The covers, characteristic of the region, are made of shale leuzes, a local stone traditionally used for roofing.

The history of the castle is marked by its transmission among several noble families: the d'Ouvrier, the Boisset de La Salle, and the Cassagnes-Miramont in 1789. The present house, described in 1668 as a "house with two towers", dates from the first half of the seventeenth century. The estate was sold as a national property in 1794 during the French Revolution. The outbuildings, such as the barn-stable, bear inscriptions dated 1682 (stable) and 1779 (grange), showing subsequent developments.

Architecturally, the castle illustrates the adaptation of seigneurial residences to local agricultural and defensive needs. Its dovecote, located in the stairway tower, highlights the symbolic and economic importance of this type of development in the Auvergne countryside. The presence of dates engraved on the auxiliary buildings suggests continuous occupation and regular maintenance, reflecting the social status of its successive owners.

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