Aubrac is a small village in the southern

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

of France. The name is also applied to the surrounding countryside, which is properly called L'Aubrac in French. The Aubrac region has been a member of the Natura 2000 network since August 2006. It straddles three ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

s'' (

Cantal Cantal (; oc, Cantal or ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, with its prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour (the episcopal see) and Mauriac; its residents are known as Cantalians (fren ...

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants ...

and

Lozère Lozère (; oc, Losera ) is a landlocked department in the region of Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the east by Ardèche, to the south by Gard, to the west by Aveyron, ...

) and three ''

région France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (french: régions, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collect ...

s'' (

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...

Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées (; oc, Miègjorn-Pirenèus or ; es, Mediodía-Pirineos) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Occitania. It was the largest region of Metropolitan France by ar ...

and

Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon (; oc, Lengadòc-Rosselhon ; ca, Llenguadoc-Rosselló) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, it joined with the region of Midi-Pyrénées to become Occitania. It comprised five departments, and b ...

Geography, geology

Aubrac is a volcanic and granitic plateau that extends over an area of 1,500 km². The volcanic eruptions occurred between 6 and 9 million year ago and were of Hawaiian type with fluid lavas. There are therefore no individual volcanic cones. The volcanic zone occupies the west side while the other part of the plateau is formed of granite. The average altitude is about 1,200 meters with the highest point at 1,469 meters (Signal de Mailhebiau) in the south. All the region has been eroded by glaciers during three glacial periods. The Aubrac includes four

glacial lakes A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier. Formation Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...

: lac des Salhiens, lac de Saint-Andéol, lac de Souveyrols and lac de Born. In the south, the highest summits of the Aubrac dominate the

Lot Lot or LOT or The Lot or ''similar'' may refer to: Common meanings Areas * Land lot, an area of land * Parking lot, for automobiles *Backlot, in movie production Sets of items *Lot number, in batch production *Lot, a set of goods for sale togethe ...

valley, which lies 1,000 m below.

Economy

Bovine breeding is the main activity on the plateau. Aubrac has its own bovine species called "Aubrac", which is well adapted to the environment. The cows are bred for their meat while, before the 1960s, they were bred for their dairy products. The milk was made into cheese in "burons" or " mazucs ", which are small structures in the middle of the pastures. Today, the majority of these structures are in ruin. The "

Laguiole Laguiole (; ''La Guiòla'' in Languedocien) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is known for its Laguiole cheese, which has an ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (label of guaranteed origin), and as the birthpl ...

" (pronounced "Layole") cheese is now only made by a dairy in the village of Laguiole and resembles

Cantal cheese Cantal cheese is an uncooked firm cheese produced in the Auvergne region of central France: more particularly in the ''département'' of Cantal (named after the Cantal mountains) as well as in certain adjoining districts. Cantal cheese was gran ...

. The region is also known for its knife industry. It is here that the

Laguiole knife The Laguiole knife (, locally ) is a traditional Occitan pocketknife, originally produced in the "knife city" of Thiers, source of 70% of France's cutting tool production, as well as the small village of Laguiole, both located in the Massif cen ...

is made by around thirty local craftsmen. The factory of Forge de Laguiole was designed by Phillippe Starck.

History

By 1000 BC, the Celts had occupied the region. In the period of

Roman Gaul Roman Gaul refers to GaulThe territory of Gaul roughly corresponds to modern-day France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and adjacient parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. under provincial rule in the Roman Empire from the 1st century ...

, Gaulish tribes called Gabalians (Lozère) and Rutènians (Aveyron) occupied the area.

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

stated that the Gabalians were survivors of the Battle of Alesia. Their capital Anderitum became

Javols Javols ( oc, Jàvols) is a former commune in the Lozère department in southern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Peyre-en-Aubrac.Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

delta and who gave their name to the

Rouergue Rouergue (; ) is a former province of France, corresponding roughly with the modern department of Aveyron. Its historical capital is Rodez. It is bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gévaudan ...

, became allied with

Vercingetorix Vercingetorix (; Greek: Οὐερκιγγετόριξ; – 46 BC) was a Gallic king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe who united the Gauls in a failed revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Despite ha ...

. In the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, Grégory of Tours recorded an incident of a Pagan

rite Rite may refer to: * Ritual, an established ceremonious act * Rite of passage, a ceremonious act associated with social transition Religion * Rite (Christianity), a sacred ritual or liturgical tradition in various Christian denominations * Cath ...

at the lake near Mount Hélanus. Later, a

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

of St. James, Adallard (a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

), survived after a fight in the area; out of gratitude to

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

he built the Dômerie (hospital) at Aubrac. The village of Aubrac grew around the hospital. The Dômerie was home to

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s and the knights of the

Order of Aubrac The Order of Aubrac was a military order and hospital (''hôtel-Dieu'') chartered in the twelfth century. It operated in the Rouergue to protect and care for pilgrims on the Way of Saint James and the '' Via Francigena''.Goyau 1912. The headq ...

until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. The monks fed and sheltered passing pilgrims, and rang a "Bell of the Lost" during times of snow. The rules of life at the Dômerie in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

dating from the

are available in an online version. In the 11th century, a certain

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South ...

, who married

Tiburge Tibors de Sarenom (French ''Tiburge''; c. 1130 – aft. 1198) is the earliest attestable trobairitz, active during the classical period of medieval Occitan literature at the height of the popularity of the troubadours. Biography Tibors is ...

, countess of

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

, appointed himself count of Gévaudan. This Gilbert had a daughter,

Douce I, Countess of Provence Douce I (also Dulcia or Dolça, called "of Rouergue" or "of Gévaudan") ( – 1127) was the daughter of Gilbert I of Gévaudan and Gerberga of Provence and wife of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona. In 1112, she inherited the Counts of Prove ...

, who was married to Ramon Berenguer, Count of Barcelona, and brought him all the rights to Gévaudan, Aubrac, and Carladès. The rule of the counts of Barcelona in Gévaudan gave rise to a serious argument with the bishop of Mende, who considered himself lord and count of the country. After many local conflicts and the war between the lords of

Armagnac Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally ...

's French kings Charles VII and

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...

this country lost its true identity. However, the pilgrim route to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

has always brought many visitors.

Culture

Every last weekend of August, a literary festival takes place in Aubrac: Rencontres aubrac

Photo gallery

Image:Aubrac1.JPG, Aubrac landscape Image:Aubrac2.JPG, Aubrac landscape Image:Aubrac3.JPG, Aubrac town & country Image:Aubrac4.JPG, Aubrac landscape

References

Medieval latin text

Settlements in the Aubrac Region

* Albaret-le-Comtal *

Alpuech Alpuech (Languedocien dialect, Languedocien: ''Alpuèg'') is a former Communes of France, commune in the Aveyron Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie region of southern France. On 1 January 2016, i ...

Anterrieux Anterrieux (; oc, Antarrius) is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region of southern central France. Geography Anterrieux is located some 30 km south by south-west of Saint-Flour and 20 km west by north-west of Sa ...

Arzenc-d'Apcher Arzenc-d'Apcher is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Lozère department The following is a list of the 152 communes of the Lozère department Department may refer to: * Departm ...

Aurelle-Verlac Aurelle-Verlac (; Languedocien: ''Aurèla e Verlac'') is a former commune in the Aveyron department in the Occitanie region of southern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Saint-Geniez-d'Olt-et-d'Aubrac. The inha ...

* Bonnefon * Brameloup * Brion * Cassuéjouls *

Chauchailles Chauchailles (; oc, Chauchalhas) is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France. See also *Communes of the Lozère department The following is a list of the 152 communes of the Lozère department Department may refer to: * Depa ...

Chaudes-Aigues Chaudes-Aigues (; oc, Chaudas Aigas, ) is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France. It is a spa town, famous for its hot spring waters. Geography The commune is situated in the Massif Central in Aubrac. Its inhabitants are ...

* La Chaze-de-Peyre * Condom-d'Aubrac * Curières *

Deux-Verges Deux-Verges (; oc, Las Verjas) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, département of Cantal in south-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Cantal department References

Communes of Cantal ...

* Espinasse * Fau-de-Peyre *

Fournels Fournels (; oc, Fornèls) is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France. See also *Communes of the Lozère department The following is a list of the 152 communes of the Lozère department of France France (), official ...

Fridefont Fridefont (; oc, Freidafònt) is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France. Population See also *Lac de Grandval *Communes of the Cantal department The following is a list of the 246 communes of the Cantal department of ...

* Grandvals *

Jabrun Jabrun () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, département of Cantal and Auvergne (region), Auvergne Regions of France, region in south-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Cantal department Refer ...

* La Fage-Montivernoux *

La Trinitat La Trinitat () is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Cantal department The following is a list of the 246 communes of the Cantal department of France. Intercommunalities ...

Lacalm Lacalm (; Languedocien: ''La Calm'') is a former commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Argences-en-Aubrac.Laguiole Laguiole (; ''La Guiòla'' in Languedocien) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is known for its Laguiole cheese, which has an ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (label of guaranteed origin), and as the birthpl ...

* Les Hermaux * Les Salces * Lieutadès * Lunet * Maurines *

Montézic Montézic (; oc, Montasic) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. Near the commune is the Montézic Power Station. Charles de Louvrié, inventor of the jet engine, was born in the commune. Population See also *Commu ...

* Montpeyroux *

Noalhac Noalhac is a commune in the Lozère département in southern France. See also *Communes of the Lozère department The following is a list of the 152 communes of the Lozère department of France France (), officially the French Repu ...

* Prades-d'Aubrac * Prinsuéjols * Recoules-d'Aubrac * Saint-Juéry * Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac * Saint-Laurent-de-Muret * Saint-Laurent-de-Veyrès * Saint-Martial * Sainte-Colombe-de-Peyre * Saint-Rémy * Saint-Urcize * Salgues * Soulages-Bonneval * Termes *

Trélans Trélans is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France. See also *Communes of the Lozère department The following is a list of the 152 communes of the Lozère department of France France (), officially the French Repu ...

References

External links

Campsite La RomiguiereAligot-Saucisse : Aveyron, that's good!Official site of AubracBulletin board of AveyronOfficial Site of Saint-Chély d'AubracPhotographs of Aubrac cowsLes Rencontres d'Aubrac, a literary festival about mythologyAubrac
{{Authority control Massif Central Volcanoes of Metropolitan France Miocene volcanoes Extinct volcanoes Landforms of Aveyron Landforms of Cantal Landforms of Lozère Plateaus of Metropolitan France