Château de Branzac
Encyclopedia
The Château de Branzac is a ruined 15th century castle
in the commune
of Pleaux
in the Cantal
département of France. A massive keep
with corner towers, the castle is a picturesque ruin on the end of a promontory.
The castle was built as a manor
house or hunting lodge in the 15th century. It was built as a long rectangle with four floors, two rooms per floor. In the centre of the main façade is a tower with a staircase and, on the opposite side, two round corner towers. The castle was ruined when dynamite was used to demolish one of the corner towers, so that materials could be used to build a railway viaduct. The castle was entirely decorated with fresco
es made by Italians in 1575, partially covered with more lighthearted scenes in 1610.
Privately owned, it has been listed since 1921 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 Pleaux
Pleaux
Pleaux is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France.-Geography:The Maronne river forms the commune's southern border, with the Enchanet reservoir.-Population:-Sights:* Château de Branzac, 15th century ruined castle...
in the Cantal
Cantal
Cantal is a department in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department. Residents are known as Cantaliens or Cantalous....
département of France. A massive keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
with corner towers, the castle is a picturesque ruin on the end of a promontory.
The castle was built as a manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
house or hunting lodge in the 15th century. It was built as a long rectangle with four floors, two rooms per floor. In the centre of the main façade is a tower with a staircase and, on the opposite side, two round corner towers. The castle was ruined when dynamite was used to demolish one of the corner towers, so that materials could be used to build a railway viaduct. The castle was entirely decorated with fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es made by Italians in 1575, partially covered with more lighthearted scenes in 1610.
Privately owned, it has been listed since 1921 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.