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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Vézins, located in Vézins-de-Lévézou in Aveyron, is an ancient castle whose current structure dates mainly from the seventeenth century. Built on a promontory, it retains a defensive shape surrounded by the remains of the medieval village. Its facades are structured around a high turret, with a richly decorated south central span, flanked by scauguettes and crowned with openworked niches added in the 19th century. Originally, the main entrance was located on the village side, connected by a lower courtyard transformed into gardens suspended in the seventeenth century. The present north entrance, ancient poterno, opens onto the countryside.

The fire of 1642, triggered by a member of the Ricard family, destroyed much of the castle, which was rebuilt on its medieval foundations (dated 1120) by architects linked to the Duke of Arpajon. In the 19th century, the castle was profoundly remodelled in a troubadour and neo-gothic style, inspired by Viollet-le-Duc, with a reorganization of the outbuildings and the construction of the Angel-Berg farm in 1859. The family of Lévézou de Vézins has owned it since the 15th century. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1990, it retains an 18th-century wrought iron gate and an interior decoration mostly from the 19th century.

On the courtyard side, four bodies of buildings arranged in horse iron frame a crenellated facade, while the interiors reflect the romantic taste of the 19th century. The painter Arnaud de Vezins, whose memory is associated with the place, illustrates the cultural influence of this castle, witness to the architectural and social transformations of Aveyron, from the Wars of Religion to the Industrial Revolution.

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