Dating back to the 11th century, the castle stands in a strategic position and was originally protected by a defence system that included the rocky outcrops. A paved path leads up from the road to the property and to the chapel, which is also accessed via an easement of way. A wooden gate marks the entrance to the private grounds and leads to two esplanades on either side of the castle. Near the apse of the church, in front of the main castle gate, the former feudal base-court can be made out, supported by stone retaining walls. The view from here extends to the surrounding hills. The second esplanade is reached via a narrow passageway between the castle and the chapel. Originally belonging to the castle and later to the parish, this sandstone chapel has an apse with finely crafted modillions, one of which features the head of Christ. Dedicated to the Holy Saviour, a name that reflects its ancient origins, the chapel contains a 16th-century representation of the entombment of Christ. The northern belvedere offers a sweeping view over the vast steppes of Aubrac, the Massif Central and the Lot valley. Past a lime tree planted during the Revolution, a third section of the castle and volcanic dikes come into view.

The castle

Altered several times over the centuries, its current layout is the result of 17th century alterations and an almost full-scale reconstruction in the 20th century. Originally, the castle had a classical layout, with four sections flanked by circular towers arranged around a square courtyard. On the east side, only the ruins of the former building are left in the form of fragments. One of the towers had been replaced by an imposing keep, which has since been destroyed. The castle has two storeys. The walls rest on basalt rock and offer a wide range of visual aspects due the use of different materials: basalt, granite, sandstone and limestone. The strikingly complex shale and mica schist roofs complete the picture. The section with the main entrance, built of red sandstone and topped by a terrace, is flanked by an engaged tower with very regular stonework. At the other end, there is a 45° gradient on the second floor, and the start of a wall marks the site of the former keep. The facade has traditional windows close to the tower, and mullioned windows on either side of the entrance, with sharp-edged cross braces typical of the last openings built according to this style. The upper part of the facade is embellished with white corbels. The section on the northern esplanade is topped by a gable roof whose ridge with two chimney stacks defines the different pitch lengths. Flanked by towers with conical roofs and broached eaves, its schist facade features large windows on the first floor, creating a subtle harmony with the stone slate roof. The ground floor openings are protected by grilles. Close to the rocky spurs, a third section has a roof with one slope extending over the inner courtyard. The facade features a semi cross-window and two doors, one of which is higher up and closed by a shutter, served by a flight of steps. The partly rebuilt tower to the east is topped by a terrace, and a crumbling wall along the street marks the site of the former main building.

The ground floor
The entrance archway with its weathered stonework contains a semi-circular door framed by fluted pilasters crowned with capitals featuring botanical motifs. An entablature, a small projection with a recess framed by slender columns and scrolls, and a broken pediment with a sculpted motif top a clerestory door. Once past the entrance, the groin-vaulted porch leads to two rooms, one underground, the other raised, accessed via a few steps, signalling the passage into a mineral world of stone. Two pointed-arch openings lead either to an interior courtyard yet to be developed or into an adjacent gallery. Opposite, a short flight of steps provides access to a door with a curved lintel opening into the main building. The facade has windows with chamfered mullions and half-mullions, featuring a sill with rounded lintels and hood moulds at the corners. To the east, a roofed shed closes off the courtyard. A cut pitch in the opposite corner marks the presence of a hexagonal staircase tower between the two sections. Its tall roof of the same shape tops a row of mullioned windows. The entrance door, with its white limestone jambs and lintel with rounded corners, also features a hood mould. Indoors, a wooden spiral staircase leads to a series of doors with double chamfered lintels. One of these leads to a cross-vaulted room lit by openings cut into deep recesses, in which an impressive segmental-arch fireplace suggests that it once served as a kitchen. In one corner, a door opens onto a former scullery with a domed ceiling. Two further arched rooms follow on from this first space. Formerly used as service areas, they provide direct access to the gallery or the staircase tower. A basic shower room has been installed in the south-west tower. A door leads from the central staircase to a second section comprising two rooms and a tower, formerly kitchen storage areas. The first room, with its groin vaulted ceiling and concrete floor, features the remains of a mill and the jambs of a fireplace without a mantel. Its hearth opens onto a second volume with a concrete floor and direct access to the outside.
The first floor
It is accessed via a series of doors from the staircase tower. The first two sections contain vast, long rooms. They have flagstone floors and wooden ceilings with exposed joists. Two of these adjoining rooms are lit by tall windows set in embrasures. A few steps lead up to the first sitting room, which features a fireplace set against the entrance wall, with a wooden mantelpiece topped by a stone hood. There is a fireplace next to an old, now glazed door leading to the staircase tower. A door across one of the corners opens into a room with a dragon beam supporting the ceiling and terracotta floor tiles. A semi-circular door leads to a second sitting room with a fireplace featuring a lintel adorned with the sculpture of a lion's head and topped with ogee moulding. The wide stone hood merges into the walls. Next to a small vaulted room with a cupola, which was once used as a kitchen, a large double wooden door provides access to a second section of the castle, with a single volume on this floor. Illuminated by mullioned windows, it opens onto the courtyard to the north, a perimeter wall to the east and the esplanade to the south. Near the entrance, a corridor connects to the central tower. It houses a narrow wooden staircase leading to the upper floor. At the other end of the room, a spiral staircase leads down to the entrance porch. These two sections of the castle, where stone and wood lend a plain hue, also display polychrome features. From the central staircase, hidden behind a doorway, an arched corridor leads to the volcanic rocks at the back of the castle. Nearby, the entrance to the third section marks the transition to a more contemporary world: the floors have been rebuilt in concrete and the ceilings lined with polystyrene to improve insulation. A spacious room, lit by a large glass door, extends out onto a terrace concealed from the outside by a ruined wall. It houses a glass shaft in one corner, originally intended for a lift. A doorway leads past a reclaimed stone sink to a small corridor and the north-east tower.
The second floor
Accessed from the central tower, the first sitting room offers a generous volume, with wooden floor and ceiling. A red carpet adds warmth and vibrancy to this palette of natural tones. The windows on this floor are more modest in size. Rebuilt in its original position, an impressive fireplace has a wedge-shaped moulded surround, flanked by lateral padstones that protrude noticeably from the jambs, and a hearth slab. Across one of the corners, a door provides access to a room in the north-west tower, with a wooden ceiling resting on a dragon beam. Opposite the fireplace, a stepladder with a handrail leads up to the attic. Nearby, a door with a straight lintel and white stone surrounds opens into a second adjoining sitting room. Similar to the first, it has a fireplace set against the entrance wall. In one corner, a tower houses a square, domed bathroom. The south section opposite consists of one single space with a concrete floor. Near the entrance, a corridor provides direct access to the staircase tower, and across from there, a glass door has replaced the wall: it precedes a conservatory and a terrace from which the view takes in a green landscape alternating between hills, valleys and hamlets. The north-east section, with its concrete floors and panelled ceilings, can be accessed from the central tower. It contains a flat with a small open-plan kitchen and shower room. A glass door concealed from the outside by a false ruin and a fireplace topped by a massive hood enhance the ensemble. Beyond the shower room and a door to the outside, a small corridor illuminated by a door-sized glazed frame leads to one of the towers.
The attic
The staircase tower, crowned with a dragon beam and panelling, provides access to the last level. The framework of the first space, topped by a single-pitch roof, reveals the insulation. Near the entrance, a step ladder leads down to the lower floor. A doorway in one corner reveals a small room in a tower, topped by a high, double-timbered roof frame. A wall separates this first space from a second attic covered by a gable truss. This is lit by a small window near to which a tower houses a room with a domed ceiling. A narrow staircase leads to a pepperpot roof structure on the upper floor. Opposite, a door leads to a terrace on the roof of the southern section of the castle. Accessed from the first garrets, the north-east section comprises a corridor leading to the north-east tower, as well as two large rooms separated by a breezeblock wall. With a terrace roof, the surrounding walls feature niches and a projecting stone, suggesting that it was once a dovecote. From here, the view extends far out into the surrounding countryside.