Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Aniès, located in Saint-Marcel-Campes in the Tarn, is a building whose origins date back to a period prior to the 13th century. In January 1212, during the crusade against the Albigois, Simon de Montfort, head of the Crusaders, stayed there during the siege of the neighbouring fortified city, then led by Géraud de Pépieux, a faithful of Count Raymond VI of Toulouse. The primitive castle served as a strategic point to observe the city, then acquired to the Cathar cause. The siege, led by a hundred men, was finally abandoned in front of the arrival of the troops of Count Raymond-Roger de Foix.

After this medieval period, historical sources on the castle became rare until the 16th century, when the present castle was built. The Renaissance style replaces the old fortress, although its name, "d-Aniès" or "d-Agnès", remains associated with an undocumented local legend. There is no evidence to confirm the existence of a "Lady Agnes", often referred to as the castle.

Architecturally, the castle of Aniès consists of a three-storey rectangular house body, flanked by two circular towers. The south tower, with a screw staircase, served as the main entrance and was protected by firemouths and murderers. The north-east tower, pierced by murderers oriented to avoid blind spots, once housed sled windows today walled. A gap once girded the domain, strengthening its defence. These elements reflect an adaptation to the military and residential needs of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

External links