Aumont-Aubrac (; or ''Z-Autmont d'Aubrac'') is a former commune in the

Lozère Lozère (; ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the ...

department in the Occitanie region of southern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune

Peyre-en-Aubrac Peyre en Aubrac () is a commune in the department of Lozère, southern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2017 by merger of the former communes of Aumont-Aubrac (the seat), La Chaze-de-Peyre, Fau-de-Peyre, Javols, Sainte-C ...

Geography

Aumont-Aubrac is located some 12 km south of

Saint-Chély-d'Apcher Saint-Chély-d'Apcher (; ) is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France. History Its inhabitants are called Barrabans. This name was allotted to the inhabitants of Saint-Chély-d'Apcher during the Hundred Years' War. In 1363, the ...

and some 35 km north by north-west of Mende. Access to the commune is by the

A75 autoroute The A75 is an '' autoroute'' (motorway) in France. Known also as ''la Méridienne'', it is a developmental project aiming to speed up, and reduce the cost of car travel from Paris to the south of France. Apart from the Millau Viaduct, it is fre ...

which passes through the length of the commune from north to south with Exit 35 north of the town and Exit 36 south of the town. Access to the town is by road D809 from Saint-Chély-d'Apcher in the north, intersecting Exit 35 on the A75 and continuing south to the village then onwards parallel to the A75. The D987 goes west from the village to

Malbouzon Malbouzon (; ) is a former commune in the Lozère department in southern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Prinsuéjols-Malbouzon.Javols Javols () 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.Fontans. There is a railway line running north to south with a railway station in the town. Apart from the town there are the villages of Nozieres in the north-west, and La Croix, Le Crouzet, La Chouzet, and La Chazotte south of the town. The commune is mostly farmland with some scattered forests and an urban area around the town and at La Croix.Google Maps
/ref> Gare Aumont-Aubrac 2

The ''Ruisseau des Rivières'' rises in the south of the commune and flows north gathering many tributaries to join the ''Rimeize'' just north of the commune. The ''Ruisseau de la Gazelle'' rises in the east of the commune and flows east to join the

Truyère The Truyère () is a river in south-western France, right tributary of the Lot (river), Lot. Its source is in the south-western Massif Central, north of Mende, Lozère, Mende. It flows generally west through the following ''département in France ...

. The ''Ruisseau du Moulin'' rises in the west of the commune and flows south then east along part of the southern border to join the Triboulin south of Longuesagne. The ''Ruisseau du Bouchet'' rises in the south of the commune and flows south parallel to the railway line to join the Ruisseau du Moulin on the southern border. The commune has had the official French label of "Village Étape" since 2002 which means it meets certain criteria regarding accommodation restaurants, and other facilities for tourists.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

The village name in

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 ...

is ''Autmont'' (pronounced wmuor awmuwith the second form only used by Occitan speakers in the surrounding communes. The use of a prosthetic "z" before "a" or "u" is typical of the

Auvergnat dialect (; ) or (endonym: ) is a northern dialect of Occitan language, Occitan spoken in central and southern France, in particular in the former administrative region of Auvergne. Currently, research shows that there is not really a true Auvergnat ...

of the region. The commune is at the southern limit of

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...

. The name ''Aumont-Aubrac'' is derived from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''altum montem'' meaning "high mountain".

History

Aumont-Aubrac was at the crossroads of ancient routes between Auvergne and

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

. Aumont was a station on the ''Way of Agrippa'' which connected

Javols Javols () 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.Gévaudan Gévaudan (; ) is a historical area of France in Lozère ''département''. It took its name from the Gabali, a Gallic tribe. History After the conquest of Gaul, the Romans preserved the capital city of the Gabali, ''Anderitum'', which they ...

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aumonais'' or ''Aumonaises'' in French.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The town was once fortified and has houses dating to the 16th and 17th centuries with stone facades and ground floors opening into vaulted arches. Over a window niche in one house there is a carved stone, possibly from the priory, which has a design of either a

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

or a JHS (''Jesus Hominum Salvator'' "Jesus, Saviour of Men")

Christogram A Christogram () is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbolism, religious symbol within the Christian Church. One of the oldest Christograms is the C ...

. From the Fountain in the ''Rue de l'Eglise'' there is a walk along the ''Rue du Barri-haut'' (''barri'' is an Occitan word referring to a suburb) to the ''Place de la Croix'' (formerly a mission in the 19th century), the ''Chemin Royal'', and the ''Place du Cloitre''. There is also a statue of the

Beast of Gévaudan The Beast of Gévaudan (, ; ) is the historic name associated with a man-eating animal or animals that terrorized the former province of Gévaudan (consisting of the modern-day department of Lozère and part of Haute-Loire), in the Margerid ...

. There are several items that are registered as historical objects: *Wood panelling in the Maison Reversat (17th century) *The War memorial (1919)

Religious heritage

Saint-Étienne church was a former

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

priory dating back to 1061, attested in 1123 as being in the heart of the barony of Peyre. Much altered in the 12th and 13th centuries, it has retained its Romanesque

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and several Gothic side chapels. The

Chevet In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. In Byzan ...

is in a ''cul-de-four'' design with broken ribs in the arch. Inside there are carved

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

s of columns resting on the light recesses. Other lighting recesses have human figures at the bottom of the chapel ribs and those of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. The furniture and stained glass are modern. The Saint-Etienne parish church contains many items that are registered as historical objects: *A Painting: Virgin in a Chair (18th century) *A

Chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...

, a Deacon's Stole, a

Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

cover, a corporal purse, and a Maniple (19th century) *A

Cope A cope ( ("rain coat") or ("cape")) is a liturgical long mantle or cloak, open at the front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A cope may be worn by any rank of the Catholic or Anglican clerg ...

(19th century) *A

Reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''. Relics may be the purported ...

(17th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy *A Collection Plate (18th century) *A

(17th century) *8

Pall Pall may refer to: * Pall (funeral), a cloth used to cover a coffin * Pall (heraldry), a Y-shaped heraldic charge * Pall (liturgy), a piece of stiffened linen used to cover the chalice at the Eucharist * Pall Corporation, a global business * Pall. ...

s (17th century) *A

, a Maniple, and a Stole (19th century) *A Chasuble, a Stole, a Maniple, and a Chalice cover (18th century) *A Chasuble, a Stole, a Maniple, and a corporal purse (19th century) *A Chalice with

Paten A paten or diskos is a small plate used for the celebration of the Eucharist (as in a mass). It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Wes ...

(19th century) Above the Place du Foirail is the monument of the Sacred Heart which is a statue of Jesus, known as the statue of "Christ the King", several metres high dominating the village on a hill named ''Truc del Fabre''. The statue was the work of a sculptor called Marcel Courbier and was erected in 1946 by the village priest. It commemorates the fact that the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

had not resulted in any casualties in the village. Every year in summer there is a mass at the foot of the statue. There are many religious items registered as historical objects in the commune: *A Cross in the Presbytery (17th-18th centuries) *A Mysterious Stone in the Saint-Privat Church

Picture Gallery

File:FR-48-Javols02.JPG, Landscape between Javols and Aumont-Aubrac Image:FR-48-Aumont-Aubrac1.JPG, The church Image:FR-48-Aumont-Aubrac2.JPG, Interior of the Church Image:FR-48-Aumont-Aubrac4.JPG, The

Image:FR-48-Aumont-Aubrac6.JPG, Remains of fortifications File:Gare Aumont-Aubrac 1.JPG, The railway station

Notable people linked to the commune

*Émile Osty (1887-1981), canon, author of a famous translation of the Bible. He came to spend his holidays at Aumont every year and it was where he wanted to be buried.Emile Osty website
*

Jean Lartéguy Jean Lartéguy (5 September 1920 in Maisons-Alfort – 23 February 2011) was the pen name of Jean Pierre Lucien Osty, a French writer, journalist, and former soldier. Larteguy is credited with first envisioning the " ticking time bomb" scenar ...

, born in 1920, writer and journalist. *

Didier Barbelivien Didier René Henri Barbelivien (; born 10 March 1954 in Paris) is a French author, lyricist, songwriter and singer. Beginning in the 1970s, he wrote a number of successful songs for artists such as: Dalida, Johnny Hallyday, Michel Sardou, Danie ...

, born in 1954, songwriter.

The Way of Saint James

Aumont-Aubrac is located on the

Via Podiensis The Via Podiensis or the Le Puy Route is one of the four routes through France on the pilgrimage to the tomb of James, son of Zebedee, St. James the Great in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain), Galicia in northwest Spain. It leaves from Le-P ...

, on the

Way of St. James The Camino de Santiago (, ; ), or the Way of St. James in English, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where trad ...

, an essential stage for crossing the Aubrac mountains. The Way comes from Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole and the next commune is

Malbouzon Malbouzon (; ) is a former commune in the Lozère department in southern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Prinsuéjols-Malbouzon.Communes of the Lozère department The following is a list of the 152 communes of the Lozère department of France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French ...

References

External links

''Aumont'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aumontaubrac Former communes of Lozère