Mazel, Station du Mont Lozère

3 points of interest

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  History

  The “mission” cross

  In the municipality of Le Bleymard, there is a large number of crosses and other small religious heritage elements, which bear witness to inhabitants’ fervour in the old days. You will see them as you enter villages, on main squares and at crossroads, to protect the walker and ploughman. Offerings sometimes took the form of crosses, which were then called “mission” crosses.

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  History

  Malavieille mill

  This mill with its vertical axle has a horizontal water wheel directly linked to the axle of the millstone, which is also horizontal. The water arrives on the wheel, known as coupo (spoon in Occitan), via the canélou or millrace (canelon in Occitan). The vertical axle transmits the motion, turning the runner stone (the upper millstone), which is supported by the bedstone, the immobile lower millstone. The grain falls through the hopper into the bucket. The centrifugal force pushes the grain from the centre towards the outside; it is gradually crushed, and the flour and bran are expelled into the mill chest.

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  Fauna

  Passerine birds

  Open spaces with a few trees and bushes favour passerine birds. Passerines are the largest and most varied order of birds, containing over half of all bird species. The red-backed shrike in particular likes this environment, which abounds in the large insects that constitute its main food source. The shrike is strictly migratory and hibernates in eastern Africa.