Château des Huttes dans le Cantal

Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The château des Huttes, located in Polminhac in the Cantal, was originally a medieval toll station on via Celtica, a historic road linking Carlat to the Lead du Cantal. Mentioned as early as 1266 in feudal acts, he then belonged to the Hutte family, before passing into the hands of the Pages des Huttes, a younger branch of local lords. The site was strategically placed on the highlands, controlling a major commercial axis through the Auvergne Mountains.

The present residence, a 17th century mansion renovated in 1797 and 1809, combines architectural elements typical of the area: basalt masonry and volcanic tuff, lauze roofs, and a corner tower with a conical roof. The estate also included agricultural outbuildings (granges, stables, supplies) dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, some with inscriptions such as "1700" or "180". These buildings illustrate the evolution of a seigneurial and economic site.

In the 18th century, the castle was the residence of the Pagès des Huttes family, several members of which marked local history. Henri Pagès (1682–57), lawyer and attorney of the king, and his son François (1716–93), capitoul of Toulouse, embody the social ascension of this lineage. The field then passed to Jean Saphary, professor of philosophy, after the extinction of the family branch. The coat of arms of the Pages des Huttes, "silver to a sandshell", recorded in 1758, bears witness to their annoyance.

The castle was also linked to a tragic event: Jean-François Pagès des Huttes (1753–89), the bodyguard of Queen Marie-Antoinette, was killed there during the Versailles riots in October 1789. This fact, documented by Marcellin Boudet in 1910, underscores the role of the family in revolutionary unrest. Today, the castle does not visit, but its history reflects the feudal, seigneurial and revolutionary dynamics of the Cantal.

The architectural complex, classified in the General Inventory of Cultural Heritage (1987), thus mixes medieval heritage (peage, seigneurial justice) and modern transformations (redevelopments of the 18th to 19th centuries). Volcanic materials and covering techniques in lauze or slates recall the adaptation of local elites to the resources of the territory, between Haute-Auvergne and Rouergue.

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