Geographical particularities
In Aubrac and in Margeride, there are two models of implementation: in line, or in L. The stable and the dwelling on the first floor are in the prolongation of each other. The dwelling receives a large common room that takes advantage of the heat released by the cowshed and is equipped with an imposing chimney, the inglenook fireplace, where niches were built to keep certain provisions, such as salt, dry. A back kitchen, the patouille, serves as a cellar. It is not uncommon to find a well, and less frequently a bread oven. On the first floor, the wooden partitions design the bedrooms, closets and beds. Above the rooms, the attic where the grains are kept as well as a space fitted out for the drying of the cold cuts, the charnier. On the farm side, above the barn, is the hayloft or barn, with a high roof, usually with a crossbeam frame. The roof is made of thick slate, often with a rust-colored patina from the moss that settles on it. Between Aubrac and Margeride, only the use of stones differs: basalt in Aubrac, granite in Margeride
On the Lozere mountain, the buildings are still made of granite but the thatched roofs are still visible in the houses managed by the Lozere mountain ecomuseum. The slope of the roof always with two slopes increases with the altitude, because of the snow cover and the importance of the precipitations
In the Cevennes, the house is generally built in the direction of the slope, the gable wall open on the valley. Because of the limited space available on the ground, extensions are made in height, some houses reach five to six levels. At its base, the house is made of notches in the rock. The half-buried basement houses the cellar, the sheepfold and the goat house, which are sometimes vaulted. Above is the common room and, in the upper levels, the silkworm houses, the attic and the hayloft, the pantry, all accessible on the same level by the slope. The construction in small schist bonding is often embellished with a trellis
On the Causse, limestone is king, wood is rare. This is why, in the traditional construction, one finds no or very few beams or framework. The use of the stone vault is preferred. The first floor which shelters the sheepfold, also in order to take advantage of the animal heat, is built with a vaulted ceiling, often very flat, allowing to reach a rather large width, generally covered with a stone pavement thus serving as a floor for the living room. The second and third levels of the house are covered by a single vault. This one, in a pointed arch, allows to obtain a large volume divided by floors, in order to arrange the various floors. In the Massegros region, some houses called "Aragonese" have beautiful porches with arches
Castles in number
In 1724, Father l'Ouvreveul listed 136 castles in Lozère. Some have since succumbed to the ravages of time; others still bear witness to the presence and influence of the eight great baronies of yesteryear: the barony of Tournel, to whom we owe the castle of Saint-Julien-du-Tournel, which is thought to have been the largest in the Gévaudan, and the castle of Boy, where the Tournel family settled in the 14th century. Of the barony of Peyre, there remains the castle of Baume, nicknamed the Versailles of Lozère. Remodeled in the 18th century, it represents the perfect type of classical residence in Gévaudan. Another castle that has stood the test of time, the one in Florac is now home to the Cévennes National Park. Of the seat of the barony of Apcher, only the tower of Apcher remains, but there is another of its residences: the castle of Billières in Saint-Chély-d'Apcher, which has experienced many ups and downs but which has always remained standing! Defensive, with a military vocation in the Middle Ages, the castle became civilized during the Renaissance (15th and 16th centuries) and began to be used as a residence. Among the most beautiful examples, the castle of Castanet in Pourcharesses or the castle of Champ in Altier. The latter shows the passage from the medieval castrum to the typical residence of the 18th century, where harmony and pomp set the tone. In the same vein, the castle of La Caze shows the changes: from ancient foundations, one evolves from now on towards more refined castles of residence
Temples and churches
The Catholic religious architecture, essentially composed of rural churches, massive or small, is based on Romanesque art, which is influenced, on the one hand, by the natural environment for the building materials, basalt on the Aubrac, granite on the Margeride, limestone for the Causses, schist for the Cévennes; and on the other hand, by external contributions, from the Auvergne in the north, from the Languedoc in the south, the central part giving a Gévaudan style, a synthesis of both.
The combed bell towers dominate and are perfectly integrated into the surrounding landscape. In the north appears the octagonal bell tower characteristic of the Auvergne style. The cathedral of Mende, symbol of the power of the bishops, is the only important witness of the Gothic period. In the Cévennes, strongly marked by the Protestant cult, only two temples predate the revocation of the Edict of Nantes: that of Collet de Dèze and that of Vialas. Elsewhere, they were built after the Revolution and, above all, between 1820 and 1840, when a great popular movement to rebuild the temples was organized, financed by the Protestant communities. At that time, the Cévennes, with its sericulture, was prosperous and its demography was at its highest. The temples had to be able to accommodate a large number of worshippers (1,300 in Saint-Germain de Calberte!). Built most often under the supervision of the pastor or the village architect, they obeyed the imperatives of solidity and economy of means, the plan did not demonstrate architectural skill: rectangle, circle... Exception to this rule, the temple of Meyrueis has an octagonal plan.
