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Origin and history

Clavières Castle, located in the Jordanne Valley in Velzic (Cantal), is a 17th-century bourgeois residence. Built around 1630 for its main residence, it was enlarged in 1660 by an adjacent pavilion. Its architecture, marked by a central pediment and gable windows, reflects the Cantalian style of the time. The facades and roofs, protected since 1978, illustrate the harmony between dark lava stone and light coated.

Originally, the estate belonged to the family of Gagnac, of which Pierre, adviser to the presidial of Aurillac, was lord in 1619. His daughter Marguerite married Jean-Antoine del Cros de Bérail, perpetuating the lineage. In 1680, the castle passed to the Apchin, family of councillors, before being transformed in the 19th century by the Capelle de Puechjean, whose doctor Jean-Antoine, mayor of Velzic, marked the local history.

The present rectangular castle incorporates a central rotunda added in the 19th century, inspired by the prefecture of Aurillac. Inside, the semicircular vestibule leads to a wooden staircase cage decorated with ironwork to the monograms of the Claviers Salvages. The commons, arranged in parallel rows, and a chapel on two levels complete the whole. The park, converted into a landscape garden, reflects the aesthetic changes of the 18th and 19th centuries.

A first castle, mentioned in 1230 as property of the house of Albars, preceded the present building. The seigneury changed hands by alliances, especially with the Salvatge in the 16th century, before the major transformations of the 17th and 19th centuries. The 18th century classical gardens were replaced by a romantic park, reflecting the tastes of the era.

The castle preserves antique furniture, especially in the dining room, where woodwork and black cabochon tile create a stylistic unit. The stables, garages and dovecote, aligned according to a homogeneous plan, recall the agricultural and residential vocation of the estate. Today, the site remains an architectural and historical testimony of the Cantalian nobility and bourgeoisie.

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