Puycelci
Encyclopedia
Puycelci is a commune
in the Tarn department in southern France
.
It is a member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
("The Most Beautiful Villages of France") association.
, which flows northwestward through the commune.
, or oppidum, later transformed into "Podium Celsium" by the Romans.
The village itself was founded in the 10th century by Benedictine Monks from the Aurillac
Abbey, in a location close to the ancient prehistoric site.
The first castle was dismantled after the Treaty of Meaux-Paris
, in 1229, but the village remained a stronghold. Though it was besieged several times in the 13th and 14th century, it was reportedly never taken by force.
Until the First World War, the village was quite prosperous, with a population of nearly 2,000 in 1830. Almost abandoned in the 1950s, it was since then restored by its inhabitants and is now listed among the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”.
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 department 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...
.
It is a member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France is an independent association, created in 1982, which aims to promote assets of small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage...
("The Most Beautiful Villages of France") association.
Demography
Geography
The village lies in the western part of the commune, high above the right bank of the VèreVère
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...
, which flows northwestward through the commune.
History
The name of "Puycelci", or "Puycelsi", comes from the celtic "Celto Dun", a wooden fortress built on a hillHill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
, or oppidum, later transformed into "Podium Celsium" by the Romans.
The village itself was founded in the 10th century by Benedictine Monks from the Aurillac
Aurillac
Aurillac is a commune in the Auvergne region in south-central France, capital of the Cantal department.Aurillac's inhabitants are called Aurillacois, and are also Cantaliens or Cantalous in Occitan....
Abbey, in a location close to the ancient prehistoric site.
The first castle was dismantled after the Treaty of Meaux-Paris
Treaty of Paris (1229)
The Treaty of Paris was signed on April 12, 1229 between Raymond VII of Toulouse and Louis IX of France. Louis was still a minor and it was his mother Blanche of Castile who had been responsible for the treaty. The agreement officially ended the Albigensian Crusade in which Raymond conceded defeat...
, in 1229, but the village remained a stronghold. Though it was besieged several times in the 13th and 14th century, it was reportedly never taken by force.
Until the First World War, the village was quite prosperous, with a population of nearly 2,000 in 1830. Almost abandoned in the 1950s, it was since then restored by its inhabitants and is now listed among the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”.
Remarkable monuments
Remarkable monuments in the village include :- the 14th century ramparts, and the Irissou Gate with its double defensive system
- the St-Roch Chapel, built in 1703
- the 15th-century castle
- 15th-and-16th-century houses, including the town hall
- the 14th-15th-century St-Corneille Church, with classified well-preserved ancient furnitures