The two farms of the Causse Noir

3 points of interest

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  History

  Castle rock

  According to a non-verifiable claim from the 17th century, the Roman general Caius Marius had a castrum built on the rock overlooking the village, in 101 BC. However, the first written sources to mention the village date from the 11th c. and refer to the castle, home to the Bermont family. The castle then passed successively into the hands of the Anduze, Roquefeuil and Armagnac families, before falling to Jeanne d’Albret, Queen of Navarre. 

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  Agriculture

  Sérigas, Marjoab

  Here, local farms breed goats to produce milk for making Roquefort cheese. In the 17th and 18th century, farmers used their milk to make cheese for themselves. In 1842, following the collapse of wool rates, the “Société des Caves et Producteurs Réunis” was formed to centralise cheese-ripening in Roquefort. A large number of dairies were opened in Causse hamlets. It was not until 1929 that the  “Confédération des Eleveurs de Brebis et des Industriels de Roquefort” was created to once again jointly manage Roquefort production.

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  Architecture

  The village of Meyrueis

  The geographical location of Meyrueis is remarkable, nestled between the Aigoual massif, the causse Noir and the causse Méjean. Here the Camin Ferrat crosses the Jonte river. Pilgrims and transhumant flocks of sheep stopped in the village before continuing their journey. Many merchants came to its large fairs. Stroll through the lanes and relive the flourishing past of the belle époque. From the prosperous bourgeois residences to the marketplaces, everything still speaks of the past! Sheep’s wool from the plateaux was woven here, silk was spun. There was intense economic activity. In the 17th century, Meyrueis became a centre for hat-making. By 1860, 17 milliners were busy making hats for Languedoc and Provence, beautiful and exceptionally high-quality hats made from felted wool and silk bourette. Discontinued as of about 1920, this activity left room for tourism, which today animates the village.