Built on a hill, Caylus, an active city in the Middle Ages, was formed around its castle.
It will delight visitors who love old stones thanks to its numerous old houses, its medieval stores in the Rue Droite, its new castle, the ruins of the old royal castle, the Pavillon Goléjac and its rich houses from the 13th and 14th centuries, in particular the Maison des Loups, the Saint-Jean Baptiste church and the Halle, three sites classified as historical monuments.
A bit of history...
In 1211, the village was burned during the crusade against the Albigensians, but after 1226, it expanded beyond its original walls. The market place, lined with galleries that served as a market hall, was created around 1247 and the church, which had been established near the square, was rebuilt in the 14th century in the center of the village. A polygonal chevet was added between 1459 and 1470, and between 1347 and 1351, a new wall was built to counter the insecurity caused by the Hundred Years' War.
The Hunchback and the petrifying waterfall...
The immediate surroundings of the village also offer a great tourist and cultural interest with for example the castle of Cornusson in Parisot, the castle of Mondésir, the castle of Cas, the caves of Saint-Géry...
In Caylus, it is said that the famous character of the "Hunchback" by Paul Féval was inspired by a local legend, the knight of Lagardelle who defeated the Dragon of Livron.
Paul Féval, supposedly a friend of the De Guérin family, would have found a setting for his characters, including the beautiful Aurore de Caylus, during a hypothetical visit to Caylus...
On the territory of Caylus, a surprising waterfall is much talked about.
It is the petrifying waterfall of Saint-Pierre-de-Livron, in the valley of Bonnette.
This waterfall is a real natural curiosity "located on a very small watercourse barely one kilometer long in its aerial part, directly out of the eponymous cave, in the circus of Notre-Dame-de-Livron", according to the Tourist Office of Tarn-et-Garonne which continues:
Hunchback and the petrifying waterfall..."The waters of this waterfall are highly charged with carbonates, the tuff is deposited on the mosses and pieces of wood in the form of a crust. The disappearance of these vegetable debris by fermentation gives, partly, to the rock its porous texture reminding that of the sponge ".
To see...
Intercommunal Tourist Office of Caylus
82160 Caylus
Tel : 05 63 67 00 28
http://www.caylus.com/
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