Marvejols (; oc, Maruèjols), is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

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, ...

department in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Its inhabitants are known as ''Marvejolais''.

Geography

The commune is located in the

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 ...

. The

Colagne The Colagne () is a long river in the Lozère ''departments of France, département'', southeastern France. Its source is in Arzenc-de-Randon. It flows generally southwest. It is a right tributary of the Lot (river), Lot into which it flows betwee ...

flows southward through the middle of the commune and crosses the town.

History

A medieval city exemplifying the

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

culture, Marvejols was strengthened during the Hundred Years War against the English. Following the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, the town walls were reinforced to protect the Huguenot population during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mi ...

, Protestant Capt. Matthieu Merle based himself at Marvejols during his conquest of the

Gévaudan Gévaudan (; oc, Gavaudan, Gevaudan) is a historical area of France in Lozère ''département''. It took its name from the Gabali, a Gallic tribe subordinate to the Arverni. History After the conquest of Gaul, the Romans preserved the c ...

. But, having sided with the then Protestant Henri of Navarre, the future King

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

, the town was besieged and burned to the ground by the Catholics. Henry had it rebuilt in 1601 in recognition of the town's support for him.

Population

Monuments and sights

*La porte du Soubeyran, a town gateway dating from the fourteenth century. Two other medieval gates survive, La Porte de Chanelles to the south and the smaller Porte du Therond, to the east. Despite some 17th-century repairs, they still keep their

medieval 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 ...

charm. *Notre Dame de la Carce dating from the end of the 13th century, becoming collegiate in 1310. *Two large bronze sculptures by Emmanuel Auricoste can be seen at two of the entrances to Marvejols. One represents the mythical Beast of Gévaudan, the other, that of

, inscribed "exécuté à Marvejols en 1954" (Executed in 1954), which refers, of course, to the date of the sculpture, not the King's demise. *The wolf park of

: Over 100 wolves live in a semi-natural state in an area of hills above Marvejols, once renowned for the animals.

Culture

''Espoir Oc'' (Hope for Oc) is an association founded about twenty years ago, to promote and develop the

Occitan language Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Vall ...

and culture. Based in Marvejols, they organize, on the first weekend of July, a festival based on the theme of the Middle Ages. Two big events take place; on the Saturday evening a great banquet consisting entirely of regional produce, finishing with a dance; on the Sunday morning, the mass is said in Occitan.

Notable people

* Rock band Subway is made up of four women, all originally from Marvejols. * Gilbert de Chambrun, mayor (1953–1965). *

Armand Blanquet du Chayla Count Armand Simon Marie Blanquet du Chayla (9 May 1759 – 29 April 1826) was an officer in the French Navy, most famous as second in command of the French fleet during its defeat at the Battle of the Nile. Early actions Du Chayla was born ...

, French admiral. * Samuel Darchy, footballer

In popular culture

The latter part of the story in the movie Betty Blue takes place in Marvejols.

Twin town

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

, Sri Lanka

Cockermouth Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England, so named because it is at the confluence of the River Cocker as it flows into the River Derwent. The mid-2010 census estimates state that Cocke ...

, UK

References

External links

Marvejols en Lozère.Espoir OcUn cop era la Lausera
{{authority control Communes of Lozère Gévaudan