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Origin and history

Combefa Castle, also known as the Episcopal Castle of Combefa, is a medieval fortress built around 1270 at the request of Bernard de Combret, bishop of Albi. Its initial objective was to secure the road between Rodez and Toulouse. Owned by the bishops of Albi, he also served as a summer residence for these prelates, before suffering the tumults of the Hundred Years War.

In the 14th century, in front of the raids of the Big Companies, Bishop Hugues d'Albert appointed Elie des Monts governor to defend the fortress. At the beginning of the 15th century, however, the Count of Armagnac Bernard VII took it and entrusted it to André de Ribes, a captain of the Great Companies allied to the English. In 1434, the royal troops of Charles VII took over the castle after a siege, allowing the bishops of Albi to recover it and renovate it, notably with the construction of a chapel in 1490 by Louis I of Amboise.

The placement in the polychrome limestone tomb of this chapel, now preserved in Monestiés, bears witness to its artistic importance. From the 18th century, the castle was gradually abandoned in favour of the Petit Lude castle in Albi. In 1761 Archbishop Léopold-Charles de Choiseul obtained the permission of Louis XV to cease maintenance and reuse his materials for other constructions. Eight years later, in 1769, the castle was already cited as a ruin.

Today, only imposing remains remain, including partially alaid towers and stables below. An overall plan and the burial are visible in the chapel Saint-Jacques de Monestiés. Despite local rumours about a secret underground, no evidence of its existence has been found to date.

The castle illustrates medieval defensive architecture, with its trapezoidal plan and its houses organized around an inner courtyard. Its history reflects the political and military stakes of Occitanie between the 13th and 18th centuries, marked by conflicts between local lords, bishops and royal power.

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