In 1636, a feeling of apprehension and expectancy prevailed in the La Caze castle. The master of the house, David de MALIAN, had gone to Paris with his wife Marguerite de GARCEVAL to pay court to King Louis 13 th and to Cardinal Richelieu, who ruled France with a rod of iron. In recent years, the kingdom had been spasmodically shaken by the urge to get rid of the terrible prime minister. Heads and castles had fallen in the attempt. Hadn’t they just finished dismantling the extraordinary Peyrelade fortress, perched like an eagle’s eyrie 6 or 7 leagues downstream, and believed to be impregnable ? The sight of the half-demolished walls had checked many hotheads and David de MALIAN, Lord of LA CAZE, had no desire to be counted in the rebel’s camp. He left his feoff in the capable hands of Anne des ONDES, his father’s second wife. In his castle protected by towering cliffs, moats filled with running water and the Tarn River, the elderly dowager kept watch over a little world of men-at-arms, menservants and peasants. She also watched over David and Marguerite’s children, for whom she acted as grandmother, and was especially attentive to Martha, whose health was delicate. One winter evening when gusts of wind made the stained glass windows creak in their leaden frames and the crows caw in the machicolations, she went to visit Marthe in her room, before she went to bed. She found the child pale and trembling in her feather bed, her lashes glistening with tears. The little girl confessed that she was frightened by the storm and that with her parents away the castle made her gloomy. She dreamed that an army of crows had torn away the roofs and ceilings and left her all alone in a bare room, at the mercy of all weathers. Moved by the child’s fears and wanting to instil in Marthe a sense of the dignity of her ancestors, Anne des ONDES told her story of the ladies of LA CAZE. http://www.chateaudelacaze.com

Le château de la Caze est un château de style Renaissance, situé dans les gorges du Tarn, en Lozère, et aujourd'hui utilisé comme hôtel. Géographie Le château est situé dans les gorges du Tarn, en Lozère, entre les communes de La Malène, de Sainte-Enimie et de Laval-du-Tarn. Histoire Construction Sa construction date du xve siècle et est à l'origine une maison forte voulue par Soubeyrane Alamand et Guillaume de Montclar. L'oncle de Soubeyrane, François Alamand, était prieur au monastère de Sainte-Énimie, et prévôt de la cathédrale de Mende. Il paya une grande partie de la construction du château pour sa nièce. Légende des nymphes La légende raconte que Soubeyrane aurait eu huit filles, vivant toutes au château. On leur accordait une si grande beauté qu'elles attiraient au château tous les damoiseaux de la région. Époque actuelle À la Révolution française il est utilisé comme prison. Au cours du xxe siècle, le linteau de la porte du château de Saint-Saturnin, situé non loin de là et en état de ruine, est récupéré pour celui de la Caze. Depuis le château a été transformé en hôtel de luxe (4 étoiles3). En 1988, il est inscrit au patrimoine des monuments historiques.

Le parking GRATUIT Adulte: à partir de 150 €/ nuit Wi-Fi GRATUIT chateaucaze@orange.fr

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