Château de Castelbouc

The Château de Castelbouc is the ruin of a rock castle in the French commune of Sainte-Enimie in the Lozère department of the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It is located in the associated small village of Castelbouc in the Gorges du Tarn and overlooks both the settlement and the passing river due to its position on an exposed rock.

The castle was first mentioned in the 12th century, when it was owned by Etienne de Castelbouc, a vassal of Elie de Montbrun. The latter was commander of the Knights Templar in Larzac. In the second half of the 16th century, the individual baronies of Gévaudan decided to destroy numerous castles and fortresses in the region – presumably so that Protestants fleeing during the Huguenot Wars could not hide there. In 1592, Castelbouc Castle was also razed.

A legend known among locals and tourists surrounds the name of the castle: According to this, at the time of the First Crusade, all the men of the region entered military service and left their homeland. Only the lord of the castle, Raymond, remained. The legend says that he subsequently sexually satisfied all the women of the village and then died of exhaustion. The following evening, his spirit is said to have flown over the castle in the form of a goat (French: bouc), which in this way – as did the place – received its name.