Sauveterre

Agriculture and livestock farming

Architecture and village

Fauna and flora

History and culture

Water and geology

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Here, humans have made tracks for millennia. Enjoy the tranquillity of the Causse de Sauveterre on this short walk between the low walls bordering the paths and the treeless expanses.

3 points of interest

Geology
A hamlet on a former volcano
The hamlet was built on the remains of a former volcano, which has been worn down by erosion. Sauveterre lies on part of the large volcanic chain of the Languedoc. The depression under the hamlet has particularly fertile soil. It has been put to good agricultural use for a long time. Today, 3 GAEC (jointly run farms) share the land around the village. Sheep breeding (for milk or meat) dominates. Flocks are 500 to 700 heads in size.
History
Sauveterre
Built on a volcanic hillock, Sauveterre hamlet sits at the crossroads of several historic routes. Here, the grande draille (main drovers’ road), a transhumance route linking the garrigues or arid shrubland of Languedoc with the summer pastures of the Aubrac plateau, crosses an ancient track linking the Vivarais with Lower Gévaudan and the Rouergue (today’s GR44 hiking path). In the 12th century, the Prior of Sainte Enimie, the local lord, declared the hamlet a salvetat. A salvetat was an area protected by God’s Peace, meaning that all violence was forbidden within its perimeter, delineated by markers. It was a place of refuge for fugitive serfs, peasants with debts, offenders or petty criminals, under the protection of the Church. After one year, they were absolved on condition of settling here, and were give some land to cultivate. This policy rehabilitated uncultivated or abandoned parcels of land. Some dwellings were built near a source of water, then a little fort to protect the travellers and a chapel dedicated to St Ferréol (Ferreolus): from 1250 onwards, Sauveterre slowly came into being.
Flora
Vast open spaces
Generally speaking, Causse soils do not retain water (except in the rare clay areas), which favours a spontaneously xerophile flora, meaning that it is resistant to drought. The Causse economy is essentially pastoral and has created a whole range of open spaces – from crops to pastureland to sheep enclosures – as well as wooded zones, which encourages wild flora. The vast grasslands around you show their colours in the summer months with a wealth of flowers. For those interested in botany, every step is a marvel in spring!

Description

Starting on the village’s main square (bread oven), pass to the left of the bread oven and take the road that runs in front of the cross and below the farm buildings.

Leave the road and take the path on your left for 1.2 km.
Turn left onto the path that goes downhill and around the depression (sinkhole).
As you arrive at the tarred surface, take the road on your left that goes up into the village and back to your starting-point.

Departure : Sauveterre village
Arrival : Sauveterre village
Towns crossed : Gorges du Tarn Causses

Forecast

Altimetric profile

Recommandations

There is no shade on this walk. Make sure your equipment is appropriate for the day’s weather conditions. Remember that the weather changes quickly in the mountains. Take enough water, wear sturdy shoes and put on a hat. Please close all gates and barriers behind you.

Information desks

Tourism'house and national Parc at Florac

Place de l'ancienne gare, N106, 48400 Florac-trois-rivières

https://www.cevennes-gorges-du-tarn.com info@cevennes-parcnational.fr 04 66 45 01 14

This office is part of the National Park's associated tourist-information network, whose mission is to provide information on, and raise awareness of, the sites and events as well as the rules that must be observed in the National Park's central zone.

On site: exhibitions, video projections, events and shop Open year-round

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