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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Valon Castle, located in Lacroix-Barrez en Aveyron, is an ancient castle whose origins date back to the 11th century, although its current remains date mainly from the 14th century. Built on a promontory overlooking the Truyère Valley, it served as a strategic point for controlling the region. Its ruins, protected since 1925, include a dungeon surrounded by mâchicoulis and a chapel, characteristic of the military architecture of the time.

During the Hundred Years' War, the castle was occupied by Aymerigot Marchès, a bandit lord allied with the English, who used it as a base to plunder the area. Captured in 1387, he was hanged in Paris, and the castle was restored to the Viscount of Carlat, John III of Armagnac. This conflict deeply marked the history of the monument, reflecting tensions between the kingdoms of France and England.

Several noble families succeeded in Valon, including Valon, Peyre, Rolland, and Chaumeil. In the 16th century Louis de Chaumeil, captain of the castle, sold it to the family of Fontanges. In the 18th century he passed into the hands of the Verdier de Mandilhac, then of the Bancarel d'Hyars, before being abandoned to the Revolution. The roofs collapsed around 1845, and the materials were recovered by the inhabitants.

In the 19th century, the architect Jean-Louis Fougerousse saved the dungeon from ruin by consolidating its structure. Purchased by the Community of Communes of Carladez, the castle was partially restored (esplanade, inner courtyard) between 2003 and 2009. Today, open to the public, he is still waiting for work to restore his enclosures and church.

The castle illustrates the evolution of medieval defensive techniques, with a closed forecourt, a dungeon accessible by a bypassed passage, and scauguettes at angles. His chapel, dedicated to Saint-Blaise, housed the burials of the lords of Valon, such as Pierre Rolland (XV century). The excavations and archives reveal its central role in feudal conflicts and seigneurial life in Rouergue.

Ranked a historic monument in 1925, Valon is an emblematic example of the Georgian castral heritage. Its history, combining military occupations, family alliances and post-revolutionary decline, makes it a key site for understanding the Late Middle Ages in Occitanie. The restorations underway are intended to preserve this architectural testimony for future generations.

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