Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Caylus Castle, also known as Cailus Castle, is a 15th century castle located in Rouairoux, Tarn department, Occitanie region. Initially the seat of a seigneury of Castres County, it became the historical centre of the present village. Its architecture combines a house body flanked by a square tower and a wing with a circular turret, modified in the 19th century.

The family of Bernon (or Vernon) is the first certified owner, with Nicolas de Bernon cited as lord in the 15th century. In 1538, the castle passed by marriage to Étienne de Caylus, whose descendants obtained the elevation of the seigneury in Barony (1680), then in Marquisat. The Marquis Joseph-François de Caylus even renamed the village Caylus in 1749, before it found its original name, Rouairoux, in 1802.

In the 19th century, the castle changed hands several times, notably with Pierre Antoine Louis Euremond Poumayrac de Masredon, mayor of the village. Archaeological excavations in 2018 reveal medieval remains and traces of buildings of the 5th century, confirming the site's seniority. These findings suggest the presence of structures still buried in the castral mot.

Architecturally, the castle combines defensive elements (square tower, decorative mâchicoulis) and Renaissance comfort features, such as sled windows. The court of honor, with its fountain, and the slate roofs complete this whole, witness to the successive transformations of the building.

External links