Le Chambonnet

Dolmens are ancient collective tombs as well as sites of ancestor worship. On this site, we have a handsome rock table resting on a curving wall, covered with soil on the outside. Some think that dolmen builders developed a different technique here; others think that the original dolmen was reworked into a shepherd’s shelter; others still do not consider it a dolmen at all but a rock conducive to creating accommodation. Whatever the truth may be, the edifice bears witness to a very ancient human presence in this area, well before the common era (-4200 to -3800).

Look closely at the mountains around you. The abundant vegetation covers thousands of remnants of drystone walls: they are the vestiges of a veritable peasant civilisation. The Cévenols have never shied away from the effort of turning this stony summit into a mountain covered in terraced gardens. The aim was to retain the soil and water. It is only thanks to this effective method that farming was able to persist in the Middle Ages, here as in other Mediterranean countries.

You are in a Natura 2000 site: the Upper Cèze and Luech Valleys. Animal and plant species thrive in this natural environment, where they are specifically monitored and protected. The white-clawed crayfish, beaver, otter and Mediterranean barbel can be found here. A total of around 20 habitats of Community interest have been identified. The variations in hydraulic regime and the weather – which can be substantial in the Cévennes – have enriched these environments, which also abound in hay meadows and a dense forest habitat.

From the 11th century onwards, monastic orders multiplied in France and built numerous new priories, churches and abbeys. The upper Cèze valley was part of this movement, and Peyremale church is an unmissable example of Romanesque architecture, in total harmony with the landscape. Built on top of a Carolingian chapel, of which the choir and window probably remained, it is believed to date largely from the 12th century, with some more recent work. Its bell gable signifies that, like the other Romanesque churches of the upper Cèze valley, it has its roots in the architecture of the Auvergne rather than Provence.