QR Veyre-Monton – Bourg 2
Monton, a fortified village
From fortified castle to village wall
Monton has been growing around a fortified castle since the early 11th century. Prior to this, the settlement was scattered across the Veyre valley where, in the 10th century, there was a church dedicated to Saint Hilaire. Some of the remains of this church can still be seen in the area now known as Saint-Alyre. This church was the parish church for several centuries, until it was replaced by the church of Monton in the 17th century.
The drawing shown here is the oldest representation of Monton. It appears in Guillaume Revel’s Armorial and dates from around 1450. The village is built below the cliff, around the castle. The square keep is surrounded by an inner wall flanked by three large towers. A small church can be seen to the right of the keep.
A moat separates the castle from the rest of the village to the north. Two barrels to indicate Monton’s wine-making nature. The façades of the troglodyte dwellings can be seen set against the cliff. In the foreground (west side), a rampart surrounds the village. This is part of the village wall, probably constructed around 1360 to protect the inhabitants during the Hundred Years’ War. Towers at the rear of the castle reveal the presence of another rampart. Unfortunately, the drawing is incomplete and unclear on the right-hand side (south side of the village).
A preserved medieval layout
The medieval structure of the village is still visible today. It is shown here on the « Napoleonic » cadastral map (1821), which historian Gabriel Fournier used to identify the elements of the Revel drawing. In the centre, the site of the château, surrounded by a moat, filled in during the 18th century. The keep is marked in yellow. Along the Rue de la Chaume and Rue des Remparts, the walls of the village enclosure (dotted), which to the south dominated the Place du Bartia.
Image captions
- Folio 175 of the « Register of Arms » or Auvergne Armorial dedicated by the herald Guillaume Revel to King Charles VII. Source gallica.bnf.fr/BNF