The Château de Najac, also called the royal fortress, stands in Najac, in the Aveyron department of southern France. Villagers built it in 1253 on the orders of Alphonse de Poitiers, the brother of Saint Louis. It replaced an older square tower raised around 1100 by Bertrand of St Gilles.
The castle sits on a loop of the river. Its inner bailey is rectangular, with towers at the corners and a large round donjon. A secret corridor links the Romanesque tower to the chapel in the keep, and a 6.80-meter arrow slit was designed for three archers at once.
In the 19th century the castle was quarried for stone. The Cibiel family saved it, and it is open to visitors. It has been a monument historique since 1925.
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