Get to know Celoux through tangible traces of its past: a pyx reliquary in the Saint-Roch parish church, a windmill and a trail featuring the village, a former railway line and the mill. When planning your trip, you can decide whether you are more interested in a single cultural object, a technical process or several historical themes. These different perspectives give the place more than one possible focus without combining them into a single attraction.

The pyx reliquary in Saint-Roch

The Saint-Roch parish church in Celoux houses a 15th-century pyx reliquary. On 16 May 1980, it was classified as a protected object. The dates refer to different aspects: the century indicates when it was made, while the 1980 date refers to its classification. When putting the object in context, it is worth keeping these two aspects separate; its age and protected status do not tell the same story about the reliquary. This gives a single object both a place in time and a later protected status.

The Moulin de Celoux: from grain to flour

The Moulin de Celoux is said to be the only working windmill in Auvergne. Its history can be traced through the years 1883, 1993 and 1994: it was abandoned in 1883 and restored in 1993 and 1994. Abandonment and the later restorations are clearly distinct phases. The accessible wooden structure is also part of the mill experience: it lets you follow the grain’s journey from hoisting the sack to sifting the flour. This makes the technology tangible as a complete work process, rather than just naming the building.

Trail, elevation and village buildings

On the Tour du moulin de Lagarde trail, Celoux, a former railway line and the windmill feature as traces of the past. The former railway line points to an earlier use; together with the village and the mill, it is one of the tour’s historical themes. The trail has 127 metres of ascent. For your planning, you can distinguish this figure from the village’s elevation: Celoux lies at just over 1,000 metres, while the 127 metres refers to the trail’s ascent.

The village buildings also add to the picture of Celoux. The village has houses with exposed stonework and restored former farm buildings. Alongside the mill, the village’s architectural details are another local theme. The exposed stonework and restored former farm buildings offer a different perspective from the technical process inside the windmill: here, the focus is on construction, while there it is on processing the grain.

Which focus suits your trip?

You can choose between these themes based on your interests. The reliquary brings together a single cultural object, its date of origin and its later classification. At the mill, the focus is on the journey from the grain sack to sifting the flour. The trail, by contrast, presents the village, former railway line and windmill as historical themes, and also gives a specific elevation figure with its 127 metres of ascent. This can help you decide whether you would rather explore one object, a technical process or several traces of the past.

Discover more destinations: Coltines, Pleaux, Saint-Urcize, Dienne, Virargues, Saint-Julien-de-Toursac, Saint-Illide, Massiac

For the broader travel overview: Cantal.