Sauveterre

3 points of interest

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  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.

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  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. 

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  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!