The black wood N°10 VTT

3 points of interest

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  History and heritage

  Village of Saint-Izaire

  The history of this village is intertwined with that of the old Episcopalian castle, which was formerly the Bishop of Vabres summer palace. The name of the village was first made mention of in an official document dating back to 862 AD.

  During the 12th century, continual invasions, acts of banditry and battles between feudal lords created a tremendous insecurity. This led to the building of battlements to improve the defensive system and providea safe haven to the neighbouring people during periods of turmoil. The castle and the fortified village date back to the time of the Vabres bishops who made the village their summer residence and a safe refuge.

  When the religious wars were over and peace restored, the protective wall lost its primary function and so today the façade of the castle has windows inserted along its length. The fortified gates were also demolished to allow the passage of carts or to expand the neighbouring houses. The villagestreet, footpath and house pattern has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages, and the beautiful 15th century facades and windowscan still be seen in some streets today. The old church part of the battlements had its vault lowered in 1635 to provide housing to the schoolmaster and guards. In 1650 repair works were started by the Consuls.

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  History and heritage

  Notre Dame de Grâce chapel

  This sanctuary which was founded by Alix de Castelnau has existed since at least the 15th century, when it was called Ouradou (oratory). This chapel was refurbished in 1730 and during the 19th century, the stairway door of the castle was then brought back into use.

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  History and heritage

  Abbot Hermet was a renowned archeologist. He was born in Calmels in 1856, and died in Rodez in 1939. He became interested in carved standing stones when he first saw them at the age of ten, and was immediately keen to learn all that he could about them. He published his first book on the subject, covering six discoveries in 1892. This led to his taking up formal training in the scientific method of archeology, and in 1898, he gave these statues their official classification of “carved standing stones”. In 1901 he became the first to undertake a thorough investigation of the Graufesenque Gallo-Roman site in Millau.