Château de Combefa, Medieval fortress in Combefa, France
The Château de Combefa is a castle built on a rocky hilltop overlooking the Zère Stream in the Tarn department. Its layout follows a trapezoidal shape with residential buildings on three sides, and today it survives as a ruin.
A bishop of Albi ordered this fortified castle built in 1270 to protect the trade route between Rodez and Toulouse. Later, a chapel was added to the complex and decorated with religious artwork.
The chapel once held limestone sculptures depicting scenes from the life of Christ, commissioned by the Amboise family as a sign of their piety and wealth. These religious artworks showed how much the castle's lords valued spiritual decoration in their home.
The castle ruins lie in the Occitanie region near the village of Monestiés and are reachable on foot. Visiting involves a short walk over uneven ground, so wear appropriate footwear.
In 1774, twenty painted statues from the castle's chapel were transported on ox-drawn carts to the Saint Jacques Chapel in nearby Monestiés. This unusual rescue mission preserved valuable artworks that might otherwise have been lost.
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