Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Saint-Saturnin, located in Lozère in the former province of Gevaudan, was mentioned as property of the king of France in the thirteenth century. It belonged to the powerful Montferrand family, close to local barons, and not to the Barons of Canilhac. This strategic castle was integrated into a network of influential seigneuries of medieval Gevaudan, where twelve major families held political rights.

In the 16th century, Antoine II of the Saint Vidal Tower, the seigneur of the places, undertook a work of beautification, including the southern facade. The castle was enlarged in the 17th century with a west wing connecting the house body to the northwest tower, forming a quadrilateral flanked by four towers. The stables and ovens then complete the whole. The last owner, Casimir d'Yzarn de Freissinet de Valady, bequeathed the castle to the bishopric of Mende in 1905, whose sale finances the neo-Gothic portal of the cathedral.

Starting in 1968, the castle, in ruins and unclassified, is looted: stones, doors and windows are sold, including a Renaissance gate (dorned with the coat of arms of the Yzarn of Freissinet) transferred to the castle of the Caze. The removal of this portal causes the collapse of the west wing. Saved in 1995 by a local family, he was enrolled in the Historic Monuments and restored stone by stone thanks to precise archives, avoiding his disappearance.

A medieval legend tells that the passengers in front of the castle had to greet under penalty of imprisonment. The recalcitrants, released on condition to dance until the exit, did not know that the stones had been heated, causing their suffering. This story illustrates the brutal authority of the lords of Saint Saturn.

Architecturally, the castle consists of three round towers and one square, covered with slate. Its location, at the foot of the cliffs of the Causse de Sauveterre (classified at UNESCO), makes it a remarkable site visible from the A75 motorway. Today, it bears witness to both the feudal power of Gevaudan and contemporary efforts to preserve heritage.

Future

The Château de Saint Saturnin has been restored by a family since 1995.
The castle is open to visit in the summer and to Heritage Days, cf Tourist Office of the Canourgue for dates and times

Temporary exposure

Une exposition temporaire provenant du Château de Berzé en Bourgogne, est en ce moment exposé au château.
" La femme au temps du Moyen Age "

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