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Base Mérimée: Monuments historiques · France

Ancien château

Roffiac, Cantal, France

The record

Designation
Historic monument
Type
château
Main period of construction
15e siècle
Ownership
propriété de la commune
Commune
Roffiac
Département
Cantal
Region
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Country
France
Coordinates
45.05190, 3.03936
Mérimée reference
PA00093588

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1636 map "La partie Septentrionale du Languedoc" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

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This record on the Ministère de la Culture's POP platform ↗

The Ministère de la Culture's notice

De l'ancien château de Roffiac, dit Belcastel, subsistent une tour isolée datée du 15e siècle, et quelques pans de murs. Il joignait, au milieu de sa fae méridionale, une tour semi-circulaire. La tour contient un escalier de pierre taillée, à noyau en spirale, comptant quatre-vingt dix marches. Cet escalier s'ouvrait dans le château par huit portes, deux par étage. Le quatrième étage formait sans doute la salle de garde ou de veille, et donnait accès au chemin de ronde. Au niveau du quatrième étage, où s'arrête l'escalier, l'axe de ce dernier se déploie en gerbe aux arcatures rayonnantes dans la voûte et retombantes à la périphérie. Sept clés de voûte, appuyées hors arcatures, sont disposées entre ces rayons alternés.

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Of the old castle of Roffiac, said to be Belcastel, there remain an isolated tower dated to the 15th century, and a few sections of walls. It adjoined, in the middle of its southern façade, a semi-circular tower. The tower contains a stone staircase, carved with a spiral newel, counting ninety steps. This staircase opened into the castle by eight doors, two per storey. The fourth storey doubtless formed the guard room or watch room, and gave access to the wall walk. At the level of the fourth storey, where the staircase ends, its axis deploys in a sheaf with radiating arcatures in the vault and falling back at the periphery. Seven vault keys, supported outside the arcatures, are arranged between these alternating rays.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Base Mérimée, Ministère de la Culture, data last updated 2026-09-17, reused under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab). Record text is reproduced unchanged. Ministère de la Culture · Licence Ouverte 2.0
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