Castelnau

A castelnau (from the Occitan words castèl nòu, meaning "new castle") is a type of village or town set up in the Middle Ages near a castle.

History

At the end of the Early Middle Ages, two buildings made people want to live in a town. These were the castle and the church. During this time period, there were types of towns called "castra," "castet," "forts," and "castelnaus". They were said to be fortified settlements with a stone castle inside. Castelnaus were usually made up of many houses in the center. Castelnaus were usually on defensive places at higher elevations.[1]

Layouts

Many types of these 'towns' can be found: round villages like Fourcès in Gers, long street villages or on a high point like Biran in Gers, and villages with concentric circular arcs terraces dominated by the castle.[2]

References
  1. Mauvissière), Michel de Castelnau (sieur de la (1823). Mémoires de Messire Michel de Castelnau: Seigneur de Mauvissière at de Concressaut, Baron de Jonville, Comte de Beaumont Le Roger ... (in French).
  2. Mairie de Mont-de-Marsan, service communication, Pascal Larrazet Archived 2008-12-21 at the Wayback Machine, sur le site montdemarsan.fr
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