Change of scene from the fenestras | Rodez Agglomeration Tourist Office

“Fenestras” are windows in the city’s surround

Rodez city walls were gradually knocked down from the 18th century. The boulevard around Rodez old town looked more and more like it does today from the 19th century. That’s when the fenestras looking onto the surrounding area were built.

Locally they’re also called “squares”. Like windows, these vistas give you the chance to see the diversity of the surrounding Aveyron countryside.

Countless fenestras pepper the Rodez boulevards and each square is named after a local figure whose memory is honoured by a bust or statue.

These are the main ones:

Square Monteil, Boulevard Belle-Isle, looks onto the north side of Rodez over Sacré-Coeur Church. The historian Alexis Monteil, sculpted by Denys Puech in 1889, stands in the centre.
Square Bonnefé, at the top of Rue Saint-Cyrice, has great views of the northern gateway to Rodez. It still has a bust of Doctor Bonnefé, sculpted by Louis Bertrand in 1914, and a great viewfinder table from the 1960s looking out onto Cantal, Aubrac and more.

Square de la Boule d’or, also known as Square Eugène-Viala, has a bronze bust by Denys Puech.
Square Bonnaterre stands at the foot of the court’s abutment.
Square Fabié hides behind the palace with views of the Ségala plateaus.