CONSTRUCTION AND DESCRIPTION OF the CURRENT CASTLE
ORIGIN
The installation of the family of Panat to Coupiac in the XV-th century seems to indicate that the current castle was raised(brought up) to this time.
The observation of three remaining towers states some differences of architecture which testify of a spreading in the construction.
The end of the One hundred years war was a relatively quiet and prosperous period, allowing in of Panat and in of Castelpers-panat to build, before the beginning of the religious wars, a more comfortable castle, and doubtless more spacious.
If one considers the style of the castle, sharply Gothic blazing in general, one can not make him(it) go back up(raise) beyond half of the XV-th century or at the beginning of the XVI-th century, in any case before the Renaissance the decorative profusion of which is already perceptible. Indeed, the blazing Gothic begins in this time, and it is characterized, in particular , by the bow in embrace and the bows in prismatic nervures, which one finds respectively on the lowest doors of the castle and the nervures of the bows of several tours(towers). The mullioned windows of the 2-nd floor are the same that those of Loc-Dieu's castle, near Villefranche-de-Rouergue, who is certainly Gothic blazing.
The stone fireplace which is in the " room of the clock " at the top of the south tower, is also of the XV-th century. An identical fireplace was placed at the top of the stair situated in the donjon; regrettably, she(it) was demolished.
Primitively, the castle appears to have been flanked(thrown) by four tours(towers) taking foot at the foot of each of the angles of the cliff, carrying(wearing) the mass of the body dominating the village. But, to punish the Lord Louis De Panat who had participated in the revolt of the account of Armagnac and of , please , Grind, Jean V, in 1465 , Louis XI made shave a district of his(her) castle. It explains doubtless why all the part(party) situated between tours(towers) the North was built in the Renaissance to compensate for the undergone loss.
Doors were opened to every floor to communicate with the body the Renaissance, among which one very beautiful in the first floor.
In the heart of the inner courtyard, a new facade, without any style, was built, doubtless late. On her(it), open windows lighting(enlightening) rather narrow rooms(chambers), on three floors.
There was, at first , no inner courtyard, but only a passage leading(driving) inside the castle, since the big gate(portal) surmounted by a beautiful Gothic blazon, slightly "beaten" in the Revolution.
DESCRIPTION
Being seen from the outside
Coupiac's castle imposes it by its dimensions in surface and in height; with the machicolations, the latrines, his(her) murderesses, the beautiful girls makes windows in tours(towers) and in the big lattice windows of the 2-nd floor, in the southeast.
At feet of the northeast tower, opens a small door very beautiful and surmounted by a blazon completely erased by the revolutionaries. This door allowed the communication of the inhabitants of the castle with the chapel John Dory which opened opposite by a big gate(portal). This one always exists, as well as the square tower of which it(he) was a part and which(who) was transformed into oratory of Our Lady of the Saint veil, in 1968.
At the level of the 2-nd floor, there is a beautiful window of the XV-th century surmounted by an oculus polylobé.
The summit of walls surrounding the castle carried(wore) a gallery in machicolation. There is a small part(party) of it next to the south tower; the presence of this gallery is proved by the notches where fitted the basic dressed stone, in tours(towers), and by doors giving access to the details(rooms) of the summit, at present inaccessible. In the southeast, the covered way carrying(wearing) the banks of the roof today, leans on stone ravens of size, maintaining simple witnesses of what was.
It is impossible to say with exactness in which date this gallery was killed(abolished). Maybe in 1778, during the restoration of the castle by Master d' Izarn?
Inside
At once after the gate(portal) of entrance(entry), a door, to the right, gives access to the stair " in lived " which leads(drives) to the halls of the first floor and the second, and which results in the summit, on the small part(party) of kept(preserved) gallery.
At the level of the yard, two small doors gave access to the two cellars of the castle, at present transformed into multi-purpose hall, after abolition(deletion) of dividing walls. This room is arched, and the big scene is built in the place of an ancient(former) room(chamber).
In the heart of the yard, one enters by a main entrance a main building of the XVIII-th century, onto which looks a room(chamber) and especially an arched kitchen of the castle, with an immense fireplace in the coat supported by a lowered bow. An oven opens inside the fireplace. The kitchen sink and the kitchen garden are placed against the western wall, and the cubbyhole close, in the tower, served as nurse to eat. In front of the door of the kitchen begins the second stair in spiral leading(driving) at the top of the donjon. In the passage, it(he) gives access to two halls stacked over the vault of the kitchen.
Of this part(party) hardly ruined by the castle, the Association of the friends of the castle allowed the restoration of two rooms since 1982. The one serves at present as room of exhibition and meeting (called " Room of the Justice ") and that of the top serves as dormitory, with a nearby toilet block.
The same stair communicates, in the first floor, with another hallway, over that of the first floor, where one notices two beautiful doors; the one the Renaissance was opened in the former(ancient) wall of the castle, led(driven) to a room(chamber) recently restored. The other one looks onto the big room of the first floor. It is a beautiful door of purer blazing Gothic style.
The immense room of the first floor was formerly divided into two details(rooms) by a very thick wall. In one of them, called " Red Room " was, it(he) seems, a very beautiful stone fireplace of size, the coat of which was carried(worn) by two granite small columns with, on the front of this coat, the beautiful badge. It was, doubtless the " Noble Room ". The dividing wall of both details(rooms) and the fireplace were removed only towards 1880, to make(do) a vast room of it which served as parochial church, by waiting for the construction of the current church. Above, in the second floor, there is a detail(room) so vast, but with lattice windows. In tours(towers), all the floors are arched, some in full round arch(hanger) and the others in broken bows. The vaults which one finds in the south tower, or of the Clock, are octagonal and in crossings diagonal rib(nose cone), in the ribbed bows. Details(rooms), in tours(towers), established(constituted) places of observation and could serve also as rooms(chambers). At the top of the south tower, in the detail(room) where was the clock, one can see a stone fireplace of size of the XV-th century. One sees there also curious murderous circular one, or gunboat with kneecap; she(it) contains a leaky mobile globe of a hole, in a way that by turning, the opening is always completely filled.
Roofs, such as they are, were redone in 1778 by the new owner: of Yzarn de Méjanel. All were restored successively since 1900. It explains that, seen from the outside, the castle has good appearance. Regrettably the inside was for such a long time neglected and in the plunder.
