Saint-Roman

3 points of interest

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  History

  Saint-Roman de Tousque

  The village of St-Roman de Tousque, which is part of the municipality of Moissac Vallée Française, owes its development to its location on the Corniche des Cévennes road, which facilitated the expansion of trade. In the 17th and 18th century, the village had a large number of artisans and shopkeepers. During the Camisard War, a company of the King’s troops was stationed here. The Camisard Lafleur came to sing psalms in front of the Catholic church, accompanied by six men. Believing themselves to be under attack, the soldiers barricaded themselves in, leaving the Camisards free to torch the church. The 19th century saw several Protestant commemorations.
  
  It was in St-Roman de Tousque that the hymn of the Cevenol protestants, La Cévenole, was sung for the first time, during the bicentenary of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in 1885.

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  History

  Serre des Potences (Gallows’ Ridge)

  Almost at the summit of the ridge, where the schist bedrock is relatively flat, are three holes 35 cm in diameter and 45 cm deep. They form an isosceles triangles with sides 2.4 m long. The holes were for chestnut poles linked by horizontal beams, from which the condemned would be hung.
  
  The gallows belonged to the Lord of Moissac, who meted out justice in these parts. In the Middle Ages, each château had its gallows. They were located close to the château (here, about 2 km away) and visible to the valley’s peasants and to travellers on the ridge track. You have to imagine the ridges without trees, as they would have been in those days.

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  Fauna

  The sweet chestnut orchard

  This chestnut orchard consists of ungrafted shoots (bouscas). A herd of goats from the hamlet of Fobies grazes here regularly, keeping the undergrowth down. This well-maintained orchard has more species diversity than a chestnut orchard that is not grazed. In the latter, you will find thorny and low woody plants – brambles, ferns, broom, heather – while a grazed chestnut orchard has a wide range of small plants: grasses, herbaceous plants, legumes, orchids, etc. This diversity shelters and feeds many insects, birds, snakes and mammals.