La boucle d'Ardaillers

5 points of interest

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  Valleraugue

  Valleraugue is believed to derive from "vallis eraugia", the Hérault valley. With its 7,834 hectares, the town extends from the Hérault valley to the summit of Mont Aigoual. Valleraugue is located on an important transportation route between the garrigues and the uplands, and once had up to 4,192 inhabitants (1851). Just over a century ago, in 1907, Abbot Fesquet wrote in his monograph on the village: "The population has been reduced to 2,500 souls. There was a time when it was difficult to find lodgings, says a 1773 town council deliberation. Nowadays, accommodation is plentiful...". In the 2007 census, the population was 1,081.

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  Flora

  Mediterranean level

  To begin with, the path is in the holm-oak altitudinal zone. Holm oaks tend to grow on the Mediterranean side of the watershed, where they are plentiful up to an altitude of about 500 m. Here, they have been eradicated to create crop terraces. On the either side of the path, which runs between high walls and has steps that give access to gardens, you can still see these terraces, now invaded by or planted with conifers. Like the holm oak, the tree heath and strawberry trees that are also present are typically Mediterranean species. Plants in this zone are xerophile, meaning that they thrive in dry environments. They are well-adapted because their small and glazed leaves limit water evaporation.

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  1703

  In Valleraugue, exporting chestnuts in times of famine or trouble was forbidden by law. In 1703, however, during the Camisard War, an official decree ordered the inhabitants to transport their chestnuts and cereals to other villages. This was to deprive the insurgents, who were supported by the locals, of provisions. The goods were guarded, and the inhabitants only kept two weeks’ worth in reserve.

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  Figayrole

  In 1692 a clandestine gathering of Protestants – who were meeting to practice their religion, banned in 1685 by Louis XIV – was surprised here. Dozens or even hundreds of people might attend such gatherings. When they were caught in the act, the community was severely punished. Families that were directly involved ran the risk of being sent to the galleys, having their property confiscated and having their children taken away from them.

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  Notre-Dame-de-la-Rouvière

  Notre-Dame-de-la-Rouvière (from rovière, an area planted with English oaks) is one of the few villages in the Protestant Cévennes that remained entirely Catholic during the Camisard War, despite acts of intimidation. In the early 17th century, a Huguenot leader, the Duke of Rohan, wanted to force Catholic communities to convert to Protestantism. He rounded up the notables of Saint-Martial, Saint-André-de-Majencoules and Notre-Dame-de-la-Rouvière to make them renounce their faith. Terrified, they accepted the Duke’s proposal but only on condition of a pact of "recobre" (redemption). The duke, unaware of the meaning of the word, signed the treaty. 

  After the Peace of Nîmes, the three communities thus returned to the bosom of the Catholic Church in accordance with the condition that they had imposed. (Ici en Cévennes, joint publication with the state school in Notre Dame de la Rouvière, 1994)