The Château de Fressac

4 points of interest

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  History

  The house of the Synod

  In a small house at the end of the Rue du Synode du Désert, a religious gathering was held in August 1715 that marked the return of Protestant worship to France, a decade after the practice was all but eradicated by Louis XIV’s dragoons (Camisard War, 1702-1705).

  Antoine Court, a young Protestant not yet ordained pastor but whose faith moved him to crisscross the Cévennes, summoned the first synod (assembly of delegates) in the Wilderness here, in a windowless room.

  The house is inhabited and cannot be visited ; a marble memorial plaque is attached to the façade. 

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  Agriculture

  The olive tree

  The presence of young olive trees bears witness to the revival of a local tradition. Olives have always been grown in Monoblet as part of Mediterranean polyculture. But here, as in the rest of the region, the famous frost of Februray 1956 remains a traumatic memory. That year, after an unusual mild early winter, the olives trees were subjected to a brutal drop in temperature (-20°C in places) that was fatal.
  Resistant varieties such as Rougette have since been planted, and today one family in Montèzes lives in part from its olive oil, which it can proudly state is produced on site.

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  History

  Château de Fressac

  In its location, construction style and current state, the Château is reminiscent of the Cathar castles. A refuge for the local population in times of need, it was inhabited untl the late 16th c. It has views encompassing the Languedoc plain on one side and the foothills of the Cévennes on the other (…).
  Resting on the rock, it was built with stones that were extracted on site and then finely carved or more crudely shaped. While we know of no actual armed assault in its history, the Château was painstakingly prepared for attackers (…).
  Today, the building is not in a good state, and a local association is trying to protect it. Do not climb on the walls ; the risk of falls is great.

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  Flora

  Orchids

  In May, you can admire “fields” of orchids in the former vineyards and meadows: the lizard orchid, long-lipped serapias and bee orchid.

  Long-lipped serapias have a lengthy lip with long and dense white hairs. They flower late and in some areas, such as here, abundantly. The species can be found in lawns, embankments, roadsides, open heath and garrigue (Mediterranean scrubland).
  Just one orchid ovary can produce several thousand tiny seeds that have no nutritional reserves. They can only germinate with the help of very specific mushrooms that enter part of the seed and extend around it, supplying minerals and carbon.
  Please do not pick the plants, only take photos !