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Le vigan
YesterdayAround 500 B.C. the Volques, who had come from a zone running from the Rhône to the Garonne, inhabited the region. In the second century B.C.
the Romans built a number of important communication routes, the two most important for Le Vigan being Nîmes-Rodez and Gévaudan-Lodève. TodayLe Vigan is an interesting place to visit, with a maze of narrow alleyways in the heart of the town, fountains, the "parc des Chataigner...'s" (sweet chestnut park),
the medieval quarter around the Cevenol museum and the magnificent 12th century bridge. Arphy
This "commune" runs lengthways up a narrow steep-sided valley enclosed on both sides by mountains. In the summer the Coudoulous river is a seemingly peaceful stream, but after heavy rains it becomes a violent torrent. In its valley, above the agricultural terraces, there are dotted small, typically southern hamlets with vine terraces, steps covered with flowers, houses made of granite with arches of huge stones, and mazes of steps and vaulted passageways where you can hear the murmur of fountains. From the hamlet Pratcoustals, abandoned fifty years ago and now partially restored, there are beautiful views over the valleys of Arphy and Le Vigan. Aulas
Aulas is situated in the heart of a fertile valley at the foot of Mont Aigoual and is split by the river Coudoulous. In the 12th century, Aulas was the centre of the Hierle barony and was known as the "headquarters". The village was built around St. Martin's chapel, which has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, and was fortified in the 14th century. You can still see a part of the ramparts from the edge of the river on the "Chemin-Neuf" (the new road). The walls were breached by a number of doors, like the one at La Poterne. The barons of Hierle lived behind Saint Martin's chapel. There was a large house, a barn, a stable and the prisons. In the middle of the courtyard was the keep. The protestant church is built on the old barracks of the "Dragons of the King". There were a number of mills, powered by the Coudoulous, which had different functions :
Near the bridge, on the edge of the Coudoulous, there is the old silk stocking spinning mill, which closed in the early 1980s. Mandagout
Mandagout is made up of about thirty hamlets. Beaulieu is the principal one and the Mairie (town hall), school, church and chapel are all situated here. The other hamlets are found on the mountainsides or beside the rivers. The commune is still very rural and many of the terraces have been reclaimed, particularly for the cultivation of sweet onions. The numerous man-made pools, dams and irrigation channels bear witness to the complex water management in use before more modern methods took over.
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