Bruniquel
Encyclopedia
Bruniquel is a commune
in the Tarn-et-Garonne
department in the Midi-Pyrénées
region
in southern France
.
.
The river Vère
flows northward through the commune, then flows into the Aveyron, which forms most of the commune's northern border.
s. Two feudal medieval castles dominate the village and the valley.
The 'old' castle was built in the 12th century on the ruins of an earlier fortress said to have been founded by Queen Brunehaut
in the 6th century and remained occupied until the 20th century. It was the home of William of Tudela
who wrote the first part of La Chanson de la Croisade Albigeoise
, an account of the Albigensian Crusade
against the Cathars. The castle is notable for a gallery 20 metres long in Renaissance
style overhanging the valley of which it offers steep views that many visitors find alarming.
The 'young' castle was built in the 15th century and occupied for about 200 years. It now houses a museum of prehistory exhibiting "treasures of Bruniquel" found in several caves near the castles.
These caves include the Cave of Mayrière supérieure which contains ancient wall paintings that were damaged by overenthusiastic graffiti
cleaners in 1991 and the Bruniquel abris
that includes evidence of Neanderthal
activity.
Since 1997 the castles have been the venue of an annual arts festival celebrating the works of Jacques Offenbach
.
The village and its surroundings feature in the 1975 film Le Vieux Fusil
(The Old Rifle) directed by Robert Enrico
starring Romy Schneider
and Philippe Noiret
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne is a French department in the southwest of France. It is traversed by the Rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name.-History:...
department in the Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
The tiny fortified village of 561 inhabitants is at an altitude of 250 metres by the river AveyronAveyron River
The Aveyron is a 291 km long river in southern France, right tributary of the Tarn River. It rises in the southern Massif Central, near Sévérac-le-Château....
.
The river Vère
Vère
The Vère is a long river in the Tarn and Tarn-et-Garonne départements, southwestern France. Its source is at Taïx. It flows generally west-northwest...
flows northward through the commune, then flows into the Aveyron, which forms most of the commune's northern border.
Sights
The village is a picturesque mixture of old pink stone and red tile with a dramatic belfy, medieval gateways and defensive wallDefensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
s. Two feudal medieval castles dominate the village and the valley.
The 'old' castle was built in the 12th century on the ruins of an earlier fortress said to have been founded by Queen Brunehaut
Brunhilda of Austrasia
Brunhilda was a Visigothic princess, married to king Sigebert I of Austrasia who ruled the eastern kingdoms of Austrasia and Burgundy in the names of her sons and grandsons...
in the 6th century and remained occupied until the 20th century. It was the home of William of Tudela
William of Tudela
William of Tudela was the author of the first part of the Chanson de la Croisade Albigeoise or Song of the Albigensian Crusade, an epic poem in Occitan giving a contemporary account of the crusade against the Cathars.According to his own account in the first lines of his poem, William was...
who wrote the first part of La Chanson de la Croisade Albigeoise
Chanson de la Croisade Albigeoise
The Song of the Albigensian Crusade is an Old Occitan epic poem narrating events of the Albigensian Crusade from March 1208 to June 1219. Modelled on the Old French chanson de geste, it was composed in two distinct parts: William of Tudela wrote the first towards 1213, and an anonymous continuator...
, an account of the Albigensian Crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
against the Cathars. The castle is notable for a gallery 20 metres long in Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
style overhanging the valley of which it offers steep views that many visitors find alarming.
The 'young' castle was built in the 15th century and occupied for about 200 years. It now houses a museum of prehistory exhibiting "treasures of Bruniquel" found in several caves near the castles.
These caves include the Cave of Mayrière supérieure which contains ancient wall paintings that were damaged by overenthusiastic graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
cleaners in 1991 and the Bruniquel abris
Abris
Abris, also called Abrosius and Abrisius, was a legendary Bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Persia, who is conventionally said to have sat from 121–137. He is said to have been from the family of Saint Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus....
that includes evidence of Neanderthal
Neanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
activity.
Miscellaneous
The commune's shield depicts a red chevron above a ram's head on a green ground.Since 1997 the castles have been the venue of an annual arts festival celebrating the works of Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
.
The village and its surroundings feature in the 1975 film Le Vieux Fusil
Le vieux fusil
Le vieux fusil is a 1975 French film directed by Robert Enrico, and starring Philippe Noiret, Romy Schneider and Jean Bouise. It won the 1976 César Award for Best Film, Best Actor and Best Music, and was nominated for best director, supporting actor, writing, cinematography, editing and sound...
(The Old Rifle) directed by Robert Enrico
Robert Enrico
Robert Georgio Enrico was a French film director and scriptwriter.He was born in Liévin, Pas-de-Calais, in the north of France.-Filmography as director:* Fait d'hiver...
starring Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider was an Austrian-born German film actress who also held French citizenship.-Early life:Schneider was born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach in Nazi-era Vienna, six months after the Anschluss, into a family of actors that included her paternal grandmother Rosa Albach-Retty, her Austrian...
and Philippe Noiret
Philippe Noiret
Philippe Noiret was a French film actor.-Biography:Noiret's father was in the clothes trade. Philippe was an indifferent scholar and attended several prestigious Paris schools, including the Lycée Janson de Sailly. He failed several times to pass his baccalauréat exams, so he decided to study...
.