Château Inférieur
Encyclopedia
The Château Inférieur is a ruined castle
in the commune
of Peyrusse-le-Roc
in the Aveyron
département of France.
Peyrusse-le-Roc was known during Roman times for the richness of its silver
, lead
and antimony
mines. The fortress here was besieged in 761. It was taken by the English in 1163 and later occupied by Simon de Montfort
. The town began to lose its importance from the end of the 16th century. In 1668, the castle was already in ruins. All that remains are two towers; the northern one serving as a watch tower is described by the Ministry of Culture as the finest example in the Rouergue
.
The castle is the property of the commune. It has been listed since 1995 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the commune
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...
of Peyrusse-le-Roc
Peyrusse-le-Roc
Peyrusse-le-Roc is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France.The Château Inférieur is a ruined castle which was taken by the English in 1163 and occupied by Simon de Montfort.-Population:-References:*...
in the Aveyron
Aveyron
Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.- History :Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790....
département of France.
Peyrusse-le-Roc was known during Roman times for the richness of its silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and antimony
Antimony
Antimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
mines. The fortress here was besieged in 761. It was taken by the English in 1163 and later occupied by Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester , also known as Simon de Montfort the elder, was a French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade and was a prominent leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
. The town began to lose its importance from the end of the 16th century. In 1668, the castle was already in ruins. All that remains are two towers; the northern one serving as a watch tower is described by the Ministry of Culture as the finest example in the Rouergue
Rouergue
Rouergue is a former province of France, bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gévaudan and on the west by Quercy...
.
The castle is the property of the commune. It has been listed since 1995 as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture.