Château des Doyens

Château des Doyens in Carennac, one of France's most beautiful villages in the Lot département, is a masterwork of 16th-century Renaissance architecture built entirely in freestone. Constructed by Dean Alain de Ferrières between 1529 and 1554, the château later underwent decoration of its great hall ceiling under François Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, the 17th-century bishop of Sarlat and dean of Carennac. The estate features notable painted ceilings, period fireplaces, and murals reflecting Renaissance influence, with facades, roofs, fortified door and tower having been classified as historical monuments since 1938. Today it serves as a heritage center interpreting the art and history of the Lot Dordogne Valley.