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Origin and history

The Château de Bouloc, located in Ceilhes-et-Rocozels in the Hérault, has its origins in the early Middle Ages. Towards the end of the 10th or early 11th century, Fortiam Bonoloco ("Fort de Bonlieu") was erected to defend the upper Orb valley. Attested from 1025, it belongs to the seigneurial families of Alban and Promillac. This strategic site marks the beginning of a military and noble occupation in the region.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the feudal building was profoundly remodelled by the Rosset de Rocozels, now Rosset de Rocozels de Fleury. The castle loses its defensive character to adopt a residential architecture, reflecting the social status of its owners. These transformations make it a symbol of local power, linked to the Languedoc aristocracy.

The French Revolution marks a turning point for the field. André-Hercule-Marie-Louis de Rosset de Rocozels, last seigneur of Bouloc and Duke of Fleury, emigrated to join the Royalist army. His wife, Aimée de Coigny, Duchess of Fleury and close to Marie-Antoinette, was imprisoned under the Terror. The castle, confiscated as a national property, was sold to a linen manufacturer in Lodève in 1792, sealing the end of his seigneurial role.

In 1964, the castle was razed by the Compagnie nationale du Bas-Rhône when the Avène dam was created to control the flood of the Orb. Although the dam only partially inundates foundations, no preservation measures are retained. The pillars of the 18th century portal are saved and resettled at the entrance to the Lunaret Zoo in Montpellier. The stones of the castle were used to build the Orthodox monastery of St. Nicholas in Joncels in 1965.

Today, the site of the castle lies under the water of the Tautas, near the village of Ceilhes. Only the former sheepfold, known as the Building Farm, remains silent witness to this lost heritage. The destruction of Bouloc illustrates the tensions between modernization and preservation of historical heritage in France in the 20th century.

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