Brousse-le-Château

Brousse-le-Château
region	Occitania
Department	Aveyron
Arrondissement	Millau
Canton	Raspes et Lévezou
Community association	Muse et Raspes du Tarn
Coordinates	44 ° 0 ′ N , 2 ° 38 ′ E Coordinates: 44 ° 0 ′ N , 2 ° 38 ′ E
height	220-665 m
surface	15.54 km 2
Residents	158 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	10 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	12480
INSEE code	12038
Website	www.brousselechateau.net
	; Brousse-le-Château on the Tarn

Brousse-le-Chateau is a French commune of the department of Aveyron in the region Occitania . It is assigned to the canton of Raspes et Lévezou and the arrondissement of Millau .

The village has been classified as one of the Plus beaux villages de France ( Most Beautiful Villages in France ) since 1997 .

geography

View from the castle on the Tarn

The place with 158 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) is located in one of the southern foothills of the Massif Central in a wooded region at the confluence of the Alrance in the Tarn about 60 kilometers south of Rodez and about 60 kilometers west-southwest of Millau . The municipality is part of the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park .

The village image is dominated by a medieval castle perched on a rocky promontory between the two rivers. The "Lauzedächer" (roofs with slate tiles) as well as the facades made of sandstone , gneiss or Schiste ( slate ) of the houses from the 17th and 18th centuries in the village center next to the Gothic stone bridge reflect the geological diversity of the region.

The community is proud of its almond trees , which bloom around February 20th.

history

Coat of arms of the Rouergue

The place name Brousse is thought to have originated from the Latin Bruscia via the old French forms Bruis or Bruys. The modern French language knows the words bruyères (" heather ") and broussailles ("bushes").

Brousse Castle is first mentioned in 935. It was built by Ermengaud , Count of Rouergue , to secure the passage across the Tarn. The main town in the county of Rouergue was Rodez . Ermengaud was married to Adélaïde de Carcassonne. The two had a daughter, Garsinde de Rouergue , who inherited the fief . After her husband Raymond III. , Count of Toulouse , died young, in 975 the sovereignty passed to her nephew Amélius, Bishop of Albi . Later Raimond IV of Toulouse owned Brousse. He died in 1105 on a crusade , whereupon the fiefdom in the county of Rodez , whose rulers belonged to the House of Millau, rose. Initially, Richard de Rodez (also Richard III. De Millau called; † 1135) commanded Brousse. He was successively followed by Hugo I and Hugo II. The latter bequeathed the fief to his cousin Bernard II in 1204.

Coat of arms of the Arpajon

Bernard II came from the Arpajon house, which was able to defend the rule over Brousse for the next five centuries. Since the city had one of the few crossings over the Tarn, the rulers benefited from considerable road tolls. The last male descendant of the dynasty was Louis d'Arpajon . His daughter Catherine Françoise sold the castle to Gilles de Grandsaignes , who was the king's secretary, in 1700 . Shortly before the French Revolution , Jean-François Peyrot de Valhausy bought the estate from the Grandsaignes family. His daughter Marie married Joseph de Lauro , who sold the property to the community in 1839.

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2009	2016
Residents	226	268	219	225	203	163	159	155

Attractions

Castle

Château de Brousse

The medieval fortification Château de Brousse stands on a rocky promontory above the town. On the side towards the village, the castle wall is flanked by six towers, including the Tour du Prisonnier ("Prison Tower"), the Tour de la Princesse ("Princess Tower"), the Tour Picarde , of which only the foundation remains today (at 45 Meters, it was once the highest tower in the province of Rouergue) and in the northeast the Tour à gorge ouverte ("Tower with the open throat"). An archway followed by a barrel vault carved into the rock provides access to the castle ensemble.

The residential part with a square floor plan is located in the southeast of the rock. Towards the Tarn river, it is crowned with machicolations . In the Renaissance , elements were added that served more comfort than defense. The grand staircase is from the 17th century, the wide openings from the 18th century. Medicinal herbs and old roses grow in the garden .

From 1963, the La Vallée de l'Amitié association took on the restoration of the castle. Today the buildings are open to the public and the community organizes changing exhibitions there. The castle complex has been a French cultural monument since 1943 .

Tour à gorge ouverte
South facade
Extensions

More buildings

Saint-Jacques-Majeur Church

The Église Saint-Jacques-Majeur from the 13th-15th centuries Century has been a French cultural monument since 1937.

The house of prayer ( oratoire ) in the church cemetery of the Saint-Jacques-Majeur church has been a French cultural monument since 1937.

The church Église Saint-Cirice , which stands outside the village center, belonged to the Order of St. John . It was destroyed during the Huguenot Wars , but rebuilt in 1640. It has long been the destination of pilgrimages to mentally ill people.

The stone bridge over the Abrance, which dates back to 1366, has been a French cultural monument since 1937.