Belcastel, its location and its history
Located in the northwest of the Aveyron department, Belcastel is a tiny village of some 60 inhabitants which lies on the River Aveyron at an altitude of 407 metres, 7 km from Rignac, the local market town.
While the visitor is immediately struck by the architectural quality of the village, its whole setting in the valley of the River Aveyron is also exceptional. It is hardly surprising, then, that a ministerial order of March 4, 1942, put Belcastel on the national list of sites worthy of conservation.
The origin of the name "Belcastel" is uncertain. Is it langue d'oc or langue d'oïl ? Castel certainly means castle but in langue d'Oc (the ancient language of southern France) Bel means "big" while in langue d'oïl (the ancient language of northern france) means "warrior".
Belcastel existed well before the year 1000A.D. The site of the present castle was ocupied by a pre-romanesque chapel. Records qhow tha t he original fortress was built around the chapel in the 11th century. The castle remained in the hands of the De Belcastel family until the 13rd century.
The second builder of Belcastel was Seigneur Alzias de Saunhac at the beginning of the 15th century. A leading figure of his time, he undertook the restoration of the castle, which had been badly damaged during its occupation by routiers (bands of brigands). To make the building easier to live in, he opened larger windows on its facade, some of them mullioned. He built the bridge that spans the River Aveyron as well as the church of Sainte Marie-Madeleine on the left bank of the river. After a glorious career Alzias de Saunhac died in Belcastel in 1448 laden with honours. He is buried in the church, with contains a fine recumbent effigy of him. The De Saunhac family continued to prosper and distinguish itself until the middle of the 16th century.
From that point on, medieval fortresses fell out of fashion, and Belcastel castle gradually became derelict. In the 19th century, the stone from the castle's portals and window and door-frames was sold. This naturally caused the building to become dilapidated.
The castle seemed doomed to a sad demise when, at the beginning of the 1970s, the celebrated architect, Fernand Pouillon, visited Belcastel and fell in love with the site. He bought the ruins of the former castle and, without the help of any public money, restored the building in exemplary fashion. Within ten years, it was habitable again. Fernand Pouillon died on July 24, 1986, and is buried, as he requested, in the village graveyard. The castle belongs to SARL Belcastel, a private limited company formed by F. Pouillon and now run by his last partner, Catherine Sayen.
The restoration of the castle brought home to the inhabitants of Belcastel the fact that they lived in an exceptionally beautiful village. The 1983 municipal elections brought in a new village council, which immediately decided to give priority to the renovation of the village and the protection of its environment.
Their task was made particulary difficult because the small rural commine of Belcastel has only 250 inhabitants, because its ageing population is chiefly made up of small farmers, most of them retired, and because it can support only a very modest tax burden. So it was with the help of the General Council and the Regional Council that the local council was able to refurbish the old village. Its inhabitants also made tremendous efforts to improve the appearance of their houses and decorate their façades with flowers.
Since 1990 Belcastel has belonged to the Association of France's Most Beautiful Villages.
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