Fortified castles and fortified villages

Champeix grew in the 13th century thanks to the Dauphins d’Auvergne who developed the wine production and the markets. Champeix was the secondary residence of the Dauphins d’Auvergne. In the Middle Age, castles often went hand in hand with commercial trades. Several owners of Castles in Auvergne created a market inside of their castles. It’s the case in Champeix where the castle’s district took the name of this old market. This district is called “marchidial”, which means “the market place”. The market changed in the 16th and 17th centuries to move at the bottom of the village on the Friday mornings. On this granitic headland, you’ll discover a chapel, the Saint-Jean church built on the rock, and also a part of the principal tower, the gardens and the basis of the donjon. The rest of the castle was destructed in the 17th century on the order of Richelieu. In the village, on the right side of the Couze Chambon, you’ll discover the Romanesque church Saint-Croix, built in the 12th century, probably at the place of an old monastery of Camaldule monks, and modified in the 15th and 16th centuries. A walking route offers the discovery of thematic gardens of Champeix: gardens in terrace, orchards, vegetable garden near the river. You’ll start the tour in the village.

Contact : Tel : 04 73 96 21 41 E-Mail : tourisme.bibliotheque.champeix@orange.fr

This village rising up on rock is protected by the donjon of a feudal castle from the 13th century. In the ground floor, you can discover one of the most beautiful gothic rooms of France, the Knights room, with frescoes recounting the Tristan and Iseults’ novel. Then, the second room of the castle offers a panoramic point of view from the donjon. The archaeological site of Chastel dominates the village. A Romanesque chapel from the 12th century with its bell tower from the 16th century keeps treasures, including a “Virgin with a bird” and a fresco of the lord of Saint-Floret. The Saint-Floret’s springs are located along the rifts of the earth’s crust that extend from Besse to Saint-Floret. The most important is the spring of “La Ribeyre”, nicknamed the “lion’s head spring” because of its form and its colour, caused by salt and limestone sediments in it. You can take the path fitted out by the Protective association of Areas and Landscapes of Auvergne to discover it. Then, there is the spring of “la Font du bon Saint-Flour” that springs in a fountain in the village of Saint-Floret. It was also nicknamed the “Stomach fountain” because it had the property to cure children’s gastric diseases. Today, it’s no more accessible. Finally, situated between Saint-Floret and Saint-Vincent, the spring of “Font Salade” is visible from a long way thanks to its numerous coloured limestone sediments. It was used at the end of the 19th century, but its weak flow caused the end of this utilization.

Main street Contact : Tel : 04 73 54 90 66

Located at the foot of a cliff bordering a basaltic plateau which dominates the Couze Pavin, Pardines suffer a true cataclysm. In 1733, after torrential rains, masses of rock crumbled during 24 hours and around 60 buildings were crushed. This natural disaster was related to a divine punishment. The population of this village dates back to the 3rd and 4th centuries, with the presence of a necropolis in the place called “la Maison Blanche”. The owner of this domain discovered in 1928 skeletons and terracotta vase. Until 1935, he discovered 210 graves, vases from the 3rd century, bronze objects and change from the 2nd and 4th centuries. This village was fortified in the 15th century, by Austremoine Bohier. You will discover old curtain walls and circular towers integrated in houses.

At the south of the fertile plains of the Lembron, and protected from the winds by the relief, Mareughol benefits from a favourable microclimate very close to the mountain. The village has a fort, built around the church in the Hundred Years’ War period. The wall of the village, really imposing, is a vast quadrilateral of 65m, adjoined on the corners of the circular towers and presenting surrounding walls of 10m high. Inside this fortification in a very homogeneous basalt, most likely constructed rapidly, the little streets of the medieval district are like a labyrinth around a really dense assembly. To discover: the fortified village (14th – 15th centuries), the Romanesque church Saint Victor and Sainte Couronne and its furniture (historical monument), the crosses of the 17th century: stripped cross, the cross of Saint-Rock, the group washing place-fountain-trough-laundry room (Mareughol has the chance to have kept intact its entire heritage dedicated to the uses of water).

The castle of Villeneuve-Lembron was constructed in the 15th century for Rigaud d’Aureille, maître d’hôtel of the kings Louis 11, Charles7, Louis 12 and François 1st. The castle offers the testimony quite rare of the seigniorial castle of the beginning of the Renaissance, with a purely symbolic defensive system. Erect in barony, the land of Villeneuve fell to the family of Montmorin in the early 16th century. Gaspard de Montmorin embellished the castle with a big decoration painted with grotesque: it remains of it some remarkable testimonies in the pomp room (window frames) and in the huge stables. In 1643, Villeneuve-Lembron was bought by Isaac Dufour, treasurer of France, who converted the old fortress. This castle is the property of the National Centre of Historical Monuments. The castle has been decorated with mural paintings, which remain vestiges in the two galleries of the corps de logis, on the outside walls and inside the chapel. The illustration of familiar maxims, such as “la Chiche-face”, or “l’Astrologue”, mixes with a decoration inspired of erudite literary references. You will also discover the Saint Claude church, from the 15th century, with its rich religious furniture and the old hotel of the Aureille family, and its Romanesque tower (historical monument, private property).

At the end of the 19th century, almost all the hills were covered by vineyards cultivated in terrace. Chalus still keeps today the memory of marks of this past. You can notice several old wine-making houses with “estre”. The tradition continues with passionate wine-growers offering a fruity and heady Côte d’Auvergne: the wine of Boudes. The wine cellar Abonnat offers you tastings by appointment. The castle of Chalus is pointed out since the 10th century, time in which Chalus had to be a very important place, because the lords of Chalus were also the ones of Boudes and Sansac. Today, the castle is made of two parts: the north part fitted out in private residence, and the southern part, listed historical monument, which still have an impressive circular donjon in arkoses from the end of 13th century, and a main building (corps de logis) from the 15th century.

This fortified village is located on the East side of a basalt flow; the Roman way from Clermont to Le Puy crossed its territory. By the way, it’s named after the Gallic word “broccos” that means rocky spur. The panorama on the Limagne’s plains is amazing. The parish life dates back to the 10th century, and Le Broc was part of an important fiefdom. It was the property of the family of Le Broc until 1304 and some representatives played an important role in the entourage of the Dauphins d’Auvergne. In the heart of the village, a walk allows you discover its heritage. In Chassaing’s hamlet subsist the buildings of the Chauliat commandery, gothic constructions with lower deck and turrets of spiral staircase. The chapel keeps interesting mural paintings, listed Historical Monument in 1969.

The castle has been constructed between 1707 and 1720 by Anne-François de Lastic on the basis of an old fortified house. It still belongs to the same family. Its English-style garden, overlooked by a patio lined with centenarian orange trees and old rose bushes, simply contrasts with the rigour of the court of honour where were reconstituted the six lawn beds which existed in the origin. Already quoted in the 18th century as one of the houses most richly furnished of the province, it is named by Henri Pourrat “the little Versailles of Auvergne”. Each generation never stopped enriching the exceptional collection of art objects of the castle, and we still can find an important part of its original furniture.

Perched on a volcanic mound and overlooked by a Virgin statue, the village of Usson offers a 360° panorama on the chain of Puy, the Sancy Mountain, the Cézallier, the Cantal mounts and those of Livradois-Forez. This village keeps the memory of Queen Margot, who has been exiled in her fortress, one of the most important of the kingdom, for 19 years. Following the salamander path, you will discover the village, and be charmed by the greatness of its basalt columns, the power of its old ramparts, the charm of its streets climbing to the church, which is surrounded by old houses, a recreated forge, wine-making houses and artists workshops. All these elements help it being listed “Most beautiful village of France”.

Contact : Tel : 06 22 88 56 77 E-Mail : info-tourisme-usson@orange.fr

We count more than 1 000 years of History for this village perched on its mount, which shines with its blond arkoses rock, material that have done its richness. Montpeyroux’s name (Rocky Mount) dates back to the end of the 11th century. At the entrance of the old fortified village, you could discover a beautiful porch from the 14th century. A donjon, old from the 13th century, overlooks houses and offers since its crenelated platform an exceptional panorama on the chain of Puy, the Sancy Mountain and also the Cantal mounts. Let yourself be seduced by the labyrinth of streets and arched passages, whose oldest constructions date back to 1122. Let yourself be charmed by the wine-growing accommodations and by the old middle-class houses, which testify of the wine-making sector prosperity in the 19th century.

Contact : Tel : 06 50 76 92 12 E-Mail : montpeyroux@couze-valdallier.fr

This old fortified village dates back to the 15th century. It has a Romanesque church, constructed in arkoses in the 11th and 12th centuries (the domed choir and transept are masterpieces of the Romanesque art), then fortified and expanded at the 14th century, at the gothic period (two lateral naves). It is listed Historical Monument since 1862. It was the old chapel of the castle, which became later a priory church. The seigneurial castle, as for it, dates back to the 14th century. It has been reworked several times during History and corresponds nowadays to the town hall. You will also find a beautiful fountain decorated with lions and mermaids by the sculptor Louis Gourmier (1832-1901).