Puycelsi (, before 2011: ''Puycelci''; )Décret n° 2011-311
22 March 2011 is a commune in the Tarn department in southern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is a member of the ''

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...

'' ("The Most Beautiful Villages of France") association. It had 449 inhabitants in 2017.

Toponym

The name of "''Puycelci''", or "''Puycelsi''" comes from the Celtic "Celto Dun", a wooden fortress built on a hill, or ''oppidum'', later transformed into "Podium Celsium" by the Romans.

History

The village itself was founded in a location close to the ancient prehistoric site by Benedictine Monks from the

Aurillac Abbey Aurillac Abbey, otherwise the Abbey of Saint Gerald, Aurillac (), founded around 895 in Auvergne (administrative region), Auvergne (in the present department of Cantal) by Count Gerald of Aurillac, destroyed during the French Wars of Religion and ...

in the 10th century. It stands high above the right bank of the

Vère The Vère (; ) is a river in the Tarn and Tarn-et-Garonne departments in southern France. Its source is at Taïx. It flows generally west-northwest. It is a left tributary of the Aveyron, into which it flows at Bruniquel. Departments and comm ...

, which flows northwestward through the commune. The first castle was dismantled after the Treaty of Meaux-Paris, in 1229, but the village remained a stronghold. Though it was besieged several times in the 13th and 14th centuries, it was reportedly never taken by force. Until the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the village was quite prosperous, with a population of nearly 2,000 in 1830. Almost abandoned in the 1950s, it has since been restored by its inhabitants and is now listed among the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”. Puycelsi is featured in the 2016 BBC/France Télévisions wildlife film Wild Tales from the Village.

Notable buildings

* the 14th century ramparts, and the Irissou Gate with its double defensive system * the St-Roch Chapel, built in 1703 * the 15th-century castle * 15th-and-16th-century houses, including the town hall * the 14th-15th-century St-Corneille Church, with classified well-preserved ancient furniture

Demography

References

External links