Le Pont-de-Montvert
Encyclopedia
Le Pont-de-Montvert is a commune
in the Lozère
département in southern France
.
It is located in the heart of the Parc National des Cévennes
. The inhabitants of Le Pont-de-Montvert are called Pontoises or Montvertipontains.
standing stones called the menhir
s of the Cham des Bondons, the largest concentration of menhirs in the south of France, bear mute witness to the long prehistory of human occupation here. The village was a fief of the Knights Hospitaller
. Guillaume de Grimoard, future pope under the name of Urban V
, was born in the Château de Grizac here in 1309. The picturesquely sited structure, no larger than a farm, reveals its defensive nature by its narrow windows, perched high in its granite walls, and its four-square tower, now topless. Charles V
exempted the seigneurie de Grizac from all taxes, a privilege its lords maintained until the Revolution.
In the 17th century it remained a local center of ardent French Protestants
("Huguenot
s") in a traditionally highly independent region; an incident in the village, the assassination on 24 July 1702 of the repressive abbé de Chayla, sparked the rebellion of the Camisard
s. The Huguenot
s elites of the neighbouring village of Fraissinet-de-Lozère
chose nevertheless to fight against the rebels. The Protestant Temple de Vialas survives in the hamlet of Vialas nearby. The cattle market still held at Easter
also has a long history.
Robert Louis Stevenson
passed through Pont-de-Montvert on the ramble narrated in his Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes
(1879), one of the first books to present hiking
and camping
as recreational activities. Today Stevenson fans retrace the route Stevenson on hiking paths (GR 70) some of which are transhumance
routes taken annually by shepherds and their flocks.
, has retained the stony granite-built traditional aspect of its closely built centre, surrounding by outlying hamlets. The village is named for its hump-backed bridge (en dos d'âne) that spans in a single arch the swift-flowing Tarn
— here near its source. The bridge is guarded by a defensive tower at the village end, now with a more amiable function: village clock. Medieval in aspect, bridge and tower date to the 17th century.
The open air museum
Ecomusée du Mont Lozère sited here presents the ecology of the region. A feature is the traditional Ferme de Troubat, with its threshing-floor and its flour mill.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Lozère
Lozère
Lozère , is a department in southeast France near the Massif Central, named after Mont Lozère.- History :Lozère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
département in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It is located in the heart of the Parc National des Cévennes
Cévennes National Park
The Cévennes National Park is a national park located in southern France, in the mountainous area of Cévennes.Created in 1970, the park has its administrative seat in Florac at Florac Castle. It is located mainly in the départements of Lozère and Gard, and covers some parts of Ardèche and Aveyron...
. The inhabitants of Le Pont-de-Montvert are called Pontoises or Montvertipontains.
History
Late NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
standing stones called the menhir
Menhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
s of the Cham des Bondons, the largest concentration of menhirs in the south of France, bear mute witness to the long prehistory of human occupation here. The village was a fief of the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
. Guillaume de Grimoard, future pope under the name of Urban V
Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V , born Guillaume Grimoard, was Pope from 1362 to 1370.-Biography:Grimoard was a native of Grizac in Languedoc . He became a Benedictine and a doctor in Canon Law, teaching at Montpellier and Avignon...
, was born in the Château de Grizac here in 1309. The picturesquely sited structure, no larger than a farm, reveals its defensive nature by its narrow windows, perched high in its granite walls, and its four-square tower, now topless. Charles V
Charles V of France
Charles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
exempted the seigneurie de Grizac from all taxes, a privilege its lords maintained until the Revolution.
In the 17th century it remained a local center of ardent French Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
("Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s") in a traditionally highly independent region; an incident in the village, the assassination on 24 July 1702 of the repressive abbé de Chayla, sparked the rebellion of the Camisard
Camisard
Camisards were French Protestants of the rugged and isolated Cevennes region of south-central France, who raised an insurrection against the persecutions which followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685...
s. The Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s elites of the neighbouring village of Fraissinet-de-Lozère
Fraissinet-de-Lozère
Fraissinet-de-Lozère is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France.-History:Fraissinet-de-Lozère was one of the earliest communities of Huguenots in France....
chose nevertheless to fight against the rebels. The Protestant Temple de Vialas survives in the hamlet of Vialas nearby. The cattle market still held at Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
also has a long history.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
passed through Pont-de-Montvert on the ramble narrated in his Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes
Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes
Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes is one of Robert Louis Stevenson's earliest published works and is considered a pioneering classic of outdoor literature.-Background:...
(1879), one of the first books to present hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
as recreational activities. Today Stevenson fans retrace the route Stevenson on hiking paths (GR 70) some of which are transhumance
Transhumance
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Only the herds travel, with...
routes taken annually by shepherds and their flocks.
Main sights
The main village, Pont-de-Montvert (870 m altitude) at the base of the south-facing slopes of Mont LozèreMont Lozère
Mont Lozère is the highest peak in the Cévennes National Park of France. There is also a secondary peak, at .Mont Lozère is commonly used for skiing during the winter months. It is also a popular destination for school/college/university groups during the summer months . It offers some stunning...
, has retained the stony granite-built traditional aspect of its closely built centre, surrounding by outlying hamlets. The village is named for its hump-backed bridge (en dos d'âne) that spans in a single arch the swift-flowing Tarn
Tarn River
The Tarn is a long river in southern France , right tributary of the Garonne.The Tarn runs in a roughly westerly direction, from its source at an altitude of 1,550 m on Mont Lozère in the Cévennes mountains , through the deep gorges and canyons of the Gorges du Tarn The Tarn is a long...
— here near its source. The bridge is guarded by a defensive tower at the village end, now with a more amiable function: village clock. Medieval in aspect, bridge and tower date to the 17th century.
The open air museum
Open air museum
An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as...
Ecomusée du Mont Lozère sited here presents the ecology of the region. A feature is the traditional Ferme de Troubat, with its threshing-floor and its flour mill.
Further reading
- Patrice Higonnet, Pont-de-Montvert: Social Structure and Politics in a French Village (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1971).
- Georgia Cosmos, "The Call to Arms: Pont-de-Montvert, July 1702," in eadem, Huguenot Prophecy and Clandestine Worship in the Eighteenth Century: 'The Sacred Theatre of the Cévennes (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2005), 85-108.
- Ghislain Baury, La dynastie Rouvière de Fraissinet-de-Lozère. Les élites villageoises dans les Cévennes protestantes à l'époque moderne d'après un fonds documentaire inédit (1403-1908), Sète, Les Nouvelles Presses du Languedoc, 2010.
External links
- Pont-de-Montvert: (separate texts in English, Dutch and German; photographs)
- Sivom Sources du Tarn
- Lozère on-line: Le Pont de Montvert
- Ecomusée du Mont Lozère (in English)
- Sarl Loureiro Frères: Photo gallery of traditional masonry, including the Château de Grizac