Montpezat-sous-bauzon

Although Montpezat-sous-Bauzon is already at the heart of the young volcanoes and Ardèche Mountains, this municipality harbors no less than five eruptive vents! These include the strombolian volcanoes of Suc de Bauzon (1471m) and Gravenne de Montpezat (806m), as well as the maars (volcanic craters) of Vestide du Pal, Ferrand, and Chambon.

Our Lady of Prévenchères is a marvel of Romanesque architecture, rebuilt in the 12th century, located near the ancient major communication route connecting the Rhône Valley to Auvergne via the Col du Pal, on the pilgrimage route from Le Puy. Clearly, Notre Dame had many lives: transformed into a shed, hay barn, and then abandoned in 1885 (as it was too far from the village), it was finally saved in 1944 by being classified as a historical monument! Nowadays, it captivates flower enthusiasts with the incredible blooms of the Clastres priory that adjoins it.

The town of Montpezat developed, first the Lower Town and then the Upper Town, at the foot of Montlaur Castle, which controlled the confluence of the two valleys of Fontaulière and Pourseille: ancient crossing routes from the Cévennes to the Massif Central. For centuries, the castle served as a crucial mule relay and a vital domain between the Ardèche mountains and the Rhône Valley. This explains the construction of various shops, inns with immense stables, bourgeois houses that lined the road to be seen by passersby!

The Saint-Roch chapel is a unique masterpiece in the heritage of Montpezat-sous-Bauzon. At the end of the calvary with its 29 stations, overlooking Notre-Dame de Prévenchères, the renovated Saint Roch chapel has seen its interior walls adorned with mystical frescoes by the painter from Antraigues-sur-Volane, Jean Saussac. The famous statue of Saint-Roch, prayed to for protection from calamities (plague, drought, famine), is currently located in the parish church in the center of the village.