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Origin and history

The château de Galinières was founded in a barn dependent on Bonneval Abbey, founded between 1163 and 1181 thanks to donations from noble families and the bishops of Rodez. The first written mention dates from 1163, in a charter confirming the tithes of the abbey. In 1168 Bishop Hugues de Rodez gave up land there, formalizing his status as a Cistercian barn. Under the direction of a barnmaster and conversant, this agricultural estate becomes the most important of the 15 barns in the Abbey. In 1184, Pope Luke III placed the barn under his protection.

In the 14th century, the barn was strengthened and fortified: in 1371, Abbé Rigald de Gaillac obtained permission to dig ditches, marking the beginning of his transformation into a fortress. The chapel, mentioned in 1322, hosts a chapelry dedicated to Saint Blaise. In the 15th century, under Abbé Jean Géraud (1407–1332), the house became abbey residence. The coat of arms of Jean Géraud, painted in the room of the abbé, attests to his role in the enlargements of the castle. His successor, Pierre Rigald (1446–73), continued the development.

The barn suffered damage during the Wars of Religion: in 1585, Huguenots looted it, and in 1588, a troop of 200 men seized the fortress, partially ruining it. In the 17th century, the castle ceased to be an abbey residence and was put into rent. Sold as a national property in 1791, the property is divided between local families. In the 20th century, fires (1905, 1921, 1928) damaged buildings, but restoration campaigns, particularly between 1994 and 2001, preserved its heritage.

Galinières Castle consists of a 14th century square dungeon, a log house of the gothic warden, and a sheepfold with diaphragm arches. The chapel, still owned by the Baldit family, and the 17th century threshing area complete the whole. Partially listed as historical monuments (1928 for the barn, 1988 for the dungeon, 1999 for the house and sheepfold), the site testifies to the evolution of a Cistercian barn in fortified castle, then in agricultural estate.

Its history reflects the links between religious power and seigneurial power in Rouergue: protection of the Counts of Armagnac (1393), conflicts during the great schism (1419–1332), and political role in the General States of Rouergue in 1576. The presence of painted decoration in the abbot's room and the archives lost in the 1905 fire underline its cultural and documentary importance.

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