Welcome Back To Saint Beat.
In todays exciting episode of Rubido explores some Ruins.
On top of the Hill and just behind the church in relative terms is this little hidden gem. Sign posted in the oddest places and to be honest I didn't even know this place existed until we saw a panel near the church we took a tour of last time.
That post is >Over Here< if you want to check it out.
That Really nifty staircase I closed the last post with? Yeah that led to a whole lot of nothing.
Talk about disappointing.
So we walked back up the road and found the path.
The track is lined on both sides with these nifty old stone walls and a number of seriously old overgrown buildings.
Looks like the brambles and vines have well and truly made this building inaccessible. I think a safe distance is the best way to observe spots like this.
Lets carry on walking along and have a quick look at the graveyard shall we?
I guess these people wont be enjoying the scenery much, but these old headstones and small mausoleums always make me wonder what kind of lives these folks led.
Anyway, enough morbid thoughts, its sunny and I wanna see what's at the end of this path.
Oh look we found an old quarry, and someone has left the door open. How thoughtful of them...
Inside is pretty strange, Waters dripping everywhere and this is clearly one of the sources for this towns famous White Marble.
They must not be worried about thieves around here because there's scaffolding and pieces of equipment everywhere, just laying around.
Time to get back outside, its a bit chilly in here.
Now...
Thats the view looking back down the hill towards the Église de Saint Benoît et Saint-Privat, and yes I agree that the view from the entrance of the quarry looking down is pretty damn cool...
But looking up is even more impressive.
Jackpot
We have arrived at the Ruins of the Feudal chateau of Saint Beat. And what a Great looking location it is.
A Strategically placed arrow slit right next to the gate would have insured an uncomfortable entry for any would be attackers, and even in ruins these walls look pretty damn solid.
The main entrance has some recent-ish wood doors in a stone arch which thankfully is open. It would have been a shame to get here and find it all locked up.
Once you go inside you can see at some stage they have added a metal gate as well, double the security I guess.
Straight ahead we have some pretty interesting shrubbery growing out of the walls.
And just to our left...
A Doorway! Lets get inside and see what we can see.
That must have been a cozy room up there when this tower had floors... You can see a nice large archway and the remains of a fireplace up there. A Room with a view is always welcome.
Above that door we came in through are more openings and what looks like a few arched storage areas. Maybe built in wardrobes or an entertainment centre?
Somewhere to keep the TV so its not on display?
Guessing by the carved recesses the had doors or something on them at some stage.
Back outside is this stairway with a notice informing you that you are being watched.
*Smile for the CCTV! *
I had to go up and get a shot through the grills to see what was behind door number 1.
It appears there is a very big mess. Lets carry on walking about and see what there is to see.
A Few more nice looking walls along the way...
As well as a few Stairways to heaven later...Seriously a step off from up here would send you to meet your maker pretty damn quick...
As you walk around the outside wall you're greeted by this beauty... Yet another Church built into the ruins themselves. I'll have to do some research on this and get back to it later... there must be a reason for a second church on top of another one.
YAY!
More signs proclaiming the benefits of our lord and saviour CCTV... This place is sealed up tighter than a ducks ass so I'll have to be happy with the outside scenery.
But lets be honest here, With views like these I aint gonna complain. This is a great place to take five and have a look down on the village.
Just like this charming lady here. I guess if I was going to be a statue and stuck with a view forever, this one aint half bad.
Well at that point we had a chill out and headed back to the car, Only when I got to the bottom of the hill did I realize you could see the Giant statue and Castle Ruins if you looked up.
So many years driving through this place and -I...NEVER...LOOKED...UP
Aint that some shit.
Now to the Nitty Gritty-
Yet another episode of...
Rubidos Fun Facts!
Situated in an area the Romans called Passus Lupi Or The passage of wolves due to the narrow pass beyond it.
This castle itself dates from the 12th century.
When It was built by the Lords of Saint-Béat to protect the city and keep control in the surrounding valley.
The Castle itself was mostly held by Capitaines in arms and minor nobility until the 16th Century. Commonly enlisting the local peasants and townsfolk to guard the place.
Ahh The Draft.
Didn't feel like it? Here have a steel sandwich, It also has a pretty large dungeon area so you can wait in comfort.
Regardless history doesn't record many battles being fought here which is probably why the ruins survived in such good condition.
Once The 16th century rolled around It was later expanded on and added to and under Henry IV Kind of France.
When at that stage it was given the status of a royal city, Which gave Saint-Béat some really cool privileges.
Two markets every month, which happened at the foot of the castle.
Wait for it, The biggest bonus...
No tax was levied.
Now that's my kind of town.
Sadly Nowadays they have Tax like everywhere else in France, What a step backwards...
Next big event was in The 19th century.
When a plague occurred in 1855,and people where popping off by the hundreds, They built the chapel on the now ruined bones of the Chateau.
They also threw up a giant statue of the Virgin Mary to protect the inhabitants and ward off the plague.
Since then Its been empty and left exactly as you see it, with the odd addition here and there. Grills on windows, CCTV etc.