Villefort in Lozère
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Villefort in Lozère |
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Villefort is a French commune located in the Lozère department in the Occitanie region. The town is situated in the Cevennes National Park, near the gorges of Chassezac and Lake Villefort. It is a popular tourist destination for hiking, water sports, and outdoor activities. The town also has a rich historical heritage, including the Clock Tower, the ramparts, and the Saint-Louis church.
3.5 km to the west, on the D901, which follows the high valley of the Altier, lies the Château de Castanet, built in the 11th century on a rocky promontory, now bordered by Lake Villefort.
Located on the old Regordan road, it was the stronghold of Châteauneuf de Randon and later of the barons of Tournel. The church of Villefort existed in the Romanesque period; it was demolished and rebuilt in 1842. Villefort was an important transit point, fiercely contested during the Wars of Religion. Protestant and Catholic factions took turns taking control.... very close to Mont Lozère, the northernmost bastion of the Camisards.
The architecture of the old buildings in Villefort is characteristic of the architectural style of village streets. Here are some examples: The houses with double vaulted porches were once inns or shops for merchants or craftsmen: one of the porches was used to store goods, the other to display them. The sculpted lintels above the entrances of some houses on Church Street or Bourgade Street testify to the past activities of their occupants. The cross or traverse windows, windows from the Renaissance, adorn the facades.
In the 19th century, the village was crossed by a national road that forms the current Avenue des Cévennes, which has become the main artery of Villefort.
The old market square of Villefort, Place de l'Ormeau, hosted the Clédou market every Thursday morning until the 1980s. Overflowing with smells and colors, cattle, meat, vegetables, seeds, and chestnuts were abundantly sold there in the 19th century. The linden tree on Place de l'Ormeau was planted on November 11, 1920, as a "victory tree" so that future generations would remember the struggle for freedom led by their ancestors during World War I.
Located one kilometer north of the village, the Villefort dam was filled on July 14, 1964. Its construction opened an alternative to agriculture. Tourist activities are developing: fishing and swimming. There is also the richness of the natural heritage of the area with many hiking trails.
The Trout of Mont Lozère. Our trout are produced in Lake Villefort, fed by the pure waters of Mont Lozère. They are raised in 12-meter-deep ponds, ensuring tasty flesh.
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In the depths of Lozère, where the waters of the Altier whisper ancient secrets and where the mountains embrace the sky, stands a colossus of stone and history: the Altier viaduct, also known as the Villefort viaduct. This monument, more than just a bridge, is a symphony of curves and straight lines, a poem engraved in masonry, connecting Saint-Germain-des-Fossés to Nîmes-Courbessac.
In 1869, under the auspices of the State and the skilled hand of engineer Charles Dombre, the viaduct took shape, emerging from the earth like a sleeping giant awakening. The following year, it welcomed its first travelers under the auspices of the Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée, and has since become a faithful servant of the Société nationale des chemins de fer français.
Perched at 592.50 meters above sea level, the viaduct gracefully spans Lake Villefort, like a stone guardian watching over the tranquil waters. At 257 meters long, it is the link between the Civadière tunnel and the Altier tunnel, a must-pass for trains that wind between the abandoned station of La Bastide - Saint-Laurent-les-Bains and the welcoming station of Villefort.
The Altier viaduct tells the story of a France in motion, an ode to engineering and art. With its two levels of arches, four on the first and eleven on the second, each with a span of 16 meters, it proudly stands as the tallest French viaduct in classical masonry.
But the viaduct also has its mysteries. In 1965, the Villefort dam swallowed the first level of the structure, leaving only about twenty meters of its original stature of 73 meters emerging. Like a partially submerged castle, it wears a black waterproof coat, a shield against time and the elements, witnessing the resilience and adaptability of man in the face of nature.
Thus continues the tale of the Altier viaduct, a giant of stone that not only connects lands but also eras, a bridge between the past and the present, between man and machine, between earth and sky.
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Beyond the borders of Villefort, where the land rises and challenges the sky, stands the ancient chapel of Saint-Loup on a granite hill. It is a place where nature, in a surge of wild grandeur, carves terrifying wonders: steep cliffs, gigantic rocks that challenge the abyss, and the rivers of Villefort and Altier roaring in the deep gorges. Here, solitude reigns supreme, and silence is the language of this austere and majestic beauty.
At the end of the last century, walkers discovered the chapel in this decor from another time. But time has reshaped this sacred landscape. The lake, born of the dam and covering the old village of Bayard, and the modern roads have transformed the view. Once, pilgrims left the departmental road for a path near the Bayard tunnel. Today, this ancient path is forgotten, replaced by a new road that winds along the lake, offering an elevated view of the old route.
Discreet stairs lead to the chapel, perched at 712 meters, where the ground flattens, inviting visitors to contemplate the horizon. To the north, the departmental road 906 winds towards the medieval village of La Garde-Guérin, overlooking the gorges of the Altier and the Bayard dam. To the west, the gaze is lost on the lake, the village of Pourcharesses clinging to the mountain, the viaduct, and the new bridge. And to the south, Villefort nestles in the valley of Pal-hère, with the Mas de la Barque and the Mont Lozère range as silent witnesses to history and the passage of time.
To the east, the gaze encompasses Les Salces and Planchamp, where the walker, having braved the ascent of the hill, is rewarded with a diverse panorama: landscapes shaped by man border those that remain wild, their natural beauty preserved. After enjoying the view, the walker can quench their thirst at the nearby spring, a hundred meters below the chapel, accessible by a discreet path. Once described as an inexhaustible fountain, greening the grass around it, it symbolized the divine grace permeating the believing souls. The pilgrim considered his journey incomplete without drinking, washing, and taking a vial of its holy water.
The chapel, restored in 1873, bears the scars of time on its granite stones, testifying to a bygone era. Its Romanesque architecture, simple yet harmonious, recalls a time when even the humblest countryside had artisans capable of creating works of great finesse. The main altar is dedicated to Saint-Loup, the left one to the Virgin Mary, and in each stone, one perceives the skilled hand guided by a love of art, just like in the parish church of Villefort.
Former holiday hotel with a garden along the Allier, L'Etoile Guest House is located in La Bastide-Puylaurent between Lozere, Ardeche, and the Cevennes in the mountains of Southern France. At the crossroads of GR®7, GR®70 Stevenson Path, GR®72, GR®700 Regordane Way, GR®470 Allier River springs and gorges, GRP® Cevenol, Ardechoise Mountains, Margeride. Numerous loop trails for hiking and one-day biking excursions. Ideal for a relaxing and hiking getaway.
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