Escorailles is a small commune of 78 inhabitants located halfway between Pleaux and Mauriac, 15 km from Salers.
Escorailles is a small commune of 78 inhabitants located halfway between Pleaux and Mauriac, 15 km from Salers.
It enjoys a splendid view of the Cantal mountains thanks to the large scree slope leading directly down to the Auze gorges. From Puy Dondon, the highest point in the commune at 808 m, the view rises north to the foot of the Monts Dore and east over the Monts du Cantal range.
Escorailles takes its name from a Roman general, Scaurus Aurelius, who is thought to have founded the town in the 5th century. In 767, Pepin le Bref came to lay siege to the Duke of Aquitaine at the Castrum Scoralium, of which several forms of earthen parapet entrenchment can be distinguished. This site was then abandoned and the feudal castle moved higher up, giving rise to the present-day village of Escorailles (11th century). The ramparts still stand proud, revealing huge sections of wall with a tower at each corner, one of which is still in good condition.
Other sites worth visiting include the 11th-century church with its gable bell tower and, of course, the Maison de la Paille et du Grain, a restored former barn with a thatched roof... It traces the work of the land through the cultivation of cereals and their uses over the last century.
