Château de Belcastel
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The Château de Belcastel is a medieval castle in the village and commune of Belcastel, on the north bank of the Aveyron River, downstream from Rodez in the Aveyron département of France. The oldest part of the Chateau was constructed in the 9th century, and it grew at the hands of the Belcastel family. Later, for many decades, it was the seat of the famed Saunhac family.
The Château de Belcastel was officially declared a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture in 1928. The famous French architect Fernand Pouillon (1912-1986) discovered the castle in ruins in 1974. Pouillon decided to reconstruct the fortress, which had been abandoned since at least the 17th century. Pouillon himself undertook the restoration by hand, along with the help of a dozen Algerian stone masons, and 10 stained-glass experts. The work lasted only 8 years and called for great courage from him and his colleagues, due to the enormity of the undertaking, the château's dangerous location, and the fact that no machines were used in the daring reconstruction.
Pouillon also undertook the restoration of the village, which is now recognised with the award of the title of "Un des plus beaux villages de France" ("One of the most beautiful villages in France").
Today, the castle is owned by a young American couple, animation art gallery owners in New York, who continue to open the site to the public from early April to mid-November. The castle has both permanent and temporary exhibitions of animation, illustration, and fine art.
The Château de Belcastel is one of a group of 23 castles in Aveyron which have joined together to provide a tourist itinerary as La Route des Seigneurs du Rouergue.