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Origin and history

The castle of Cayla is located in the municipality of Moyrazès, near Rodez, in the department of Aveyron. Built at the top of a steep hill overlooking the Aveyron River, it occupied a strategic position on the old road connecting Villefranche-de-Rouergue to Rodez. The village of Moyrazès, with a medieval bridge over Aveyron, served as a stage for travellers. The original castle, located in the heart of the village, belonged to the bishops of Rodez before being destroyed around 1500.

The construction of the present castle was initiated by the family of Cassagnes, lords of Cayla, whose origin dates back to at least 1062, when a document mentions the brothers Hugues and Rigald de Cassagnes, son of Raymond and Richilde. Antoine de Cassagnes de Beaufort, seigneur of Cayla in the 16th century, was a gentleman in the chamber of King Henry IV, who wrote to him in 1583. The family left Rouergue at the beginning of the 17th century to settle in Haute-Auvergne, selling the castle in 1754 to Antoine Rous, who was then lord of Cayla.

During the French Revolution, the estate passed into the hands of Rodat's family, which entrusted it to a local notary. Since the end of the 19th century, the castle belongs to the Mazenq family. The building, partially rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries, preserves defensive elements such as two round towers, remnants of courtine and a chestnut. The main house, flanked by a square tower and a courting wing, revolves around a central courtyard, while a building of communes completes the whole.

The coat of arms of the families of Cassagnes and Beaufort, visible on the chimneys, attests to their historical presence: "D The castle thus illustrates the architectural and social evolution of a ruergate seigneury, from medieval origins to its modern transformations.

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