Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Vixouze, mentioned since 930 as villa Viddiiosa in a donation to the Abbey of Conques, becomes a castle fort in the 13th century with a rectangular dungeon surrounded by a enclosure. Damaged during the Franco-English wars, it was partially rebuilt at the end of the 15th century, then transformed into a pavilion in the 17th century. Its architecture thus combines medieval defensive elements (high gate of the dungeon, enclosure walls) and Renaissance additions, such as the out-of-work stair tower or the vaulted chapel in the 17th century cradle.

The seigneury of Vixouze passes into the hands of several noble families: the Vixouze (from the 13th to the 15th century), marked by knights like Guy or Hector, then the Brunenc of Vixouze, who also acquire the Castle of Comblat in the 15th century. In the 17th century, the Pagès de Vixouze, taking over the original coat of arms (silver to a shell of sand), modernized the estate. François-Xavier Pagès, revolutionary lord, was an emblematic owner of the castle before the castle passed to the Dessauret d'Auliac, then to the Costes in 1913.

The site, listed as historical monuments in 2000 for its totality (donjon, enclosures, turrets, chapel and outbuildings), illustrates the architectural evolution of the Auvergnat castles. The entrance fountain (11th century), the broken cradle bread oven or the barn-stable dated 1613 and 1777 testify to its adaptation to domestic needs. Purchased in 1990 by artist André Léonard, the castle is restored and opened to cultural events before being acquired in 2013 by the Pilicer-Moncorger family, current owner.

The history of Vixouze is also that of its strategic alliances: in 1400, Hélène de Vixouze married Robert de Brunenc, uniting the fiefs with a lineage close to the troubadour Hugues de Brunenc. Later, Louise de Comblat brought the estate to Blaise Pagès, the criminal lieutenant of Aurillac, whose descendants, like Antoine Pagès (subdelegate of the intendant of Auvergne), marked local history. The archives also reveal missing architectural details, such as the lantern roof of the gate or the primitive access of the dungeon through a high door.

The castle reflects the social changes of the Haute-Auvergne: first medieval stronghold controlled by Viscounts of Carlat, it becomes a seigneurial residence in the 16th-17th centuries, then a heritage property transmitted by inheritances and marriages. The inscriptions on the walls (1719 for the fence wall) and the engraved dates (1613, 1777 on the barn) underline this continuity. Today, its preservation and cultural animation perpetuate this link between history and territory.

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