| Cévennes | |
|---|---|
| Occitan:Cevenas | |
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Sommet de Finiels |
| Elevation | 1,699 m (5,574 ft) |
| Coordinates | 44°25′34″N03°44′21″E / 44.42611°N 3.73917°E /44.42611; 3.73917 |
| Naming | |
| Pronunciation | English:/seɪˈvɛn/say-VEN French:[sevɛn]ⓘ |
| Geography | |
 Location in theMassif Central | |
| Country | France |
| Départements |
|
| Parent range | Massif Central |
TheCévennes (/seɪˈvɛn/say-VEN,[1][2][3]French:[sevɛn]ⓘ;Occitan:CevenasIPA:[seβeno̞s]) is acultural region andrange of mountains in south-centralFrance, on the south-east edge of theMassif Central. It covers parts of thedépartements ofArdèche,Gard,Hérault andLozère. Rich in geographical, natural, and cultural significance, portions of the region are protected within theCévennes National Park, the CévennesBiosphere Reserve (UNESCO),[4] as well as aUNESCO World Heritage Site:Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape.[5] The area has been inhabited since 400,000 BCE and has numerousmegaliths which were erected beginning around 2500 BCE.[6] As an agriculturally-rich area, but not a suitable location for cities, the Cévennes developed a wide diversity of pastoral systems, includingtranshumance. The irrigation and road networks put in place in the early Middle Ages for these pastoral systems are still in use today.[5]
The nameCévennes comes from theGaulishCebenna.[7] As of 1999, there were 165,707 inhabitants in the region, with 20,847 living inside the UNESCO protected zone.[8]: 108 Inhabitants of the region are known as Cévenols, from the adjective Cévenol (fem. Cévenole).[9]
The mountain range also gives its name to a meteorological effect when cold air from the Atlantic coast meets warm air of southern winds from the Mediterranean and causes heavy autumnal downpours, often leading to floods. These are calledépisodes cévenols.
The origin of the nameCévennes isCeltic,[10] coming from theGaulishCebenna, which was Latinized byJulius Caesar asCevenna.[11] The Cévennes are named Cemmenon (Κέμμενων) in Strabo'sGeographica.The word in Gaulish probably meantridgeline[12] and is related to the Breton wordkein meaning back.[7] The-vennes part of the name is likely related to the Gaelic wordbeinn meaning mountain or hill.[10]
There are several popular false etymologies, one of which is that the name is derived for the wordsseven veins (sept veines in French) which is supposed to be a reference to the seven rivers (veins) flowing through the region. Historical references to the name that predate the French language itself preclude this possibility.[10] Another false etymology suggests that the name comes from the Occitan wordceba (also writtencebo) which means "onion", which is supposed to reference the layered structure of slate which makes up the mountains. But this is not possible as the Occitanceba derives fromLatincepa which does not phonetically fit the references to the region in Latin and Greek Literature. Additionally, the suffix-enna, originallyCeltic, was brought over into Latin, and was never used for words of Latin origin.[13][14]
In the larger sense, the Cévennes include ninedépartements: leTarn, l'Aude, l'Hérault, l'Aveyron, leGard, laLozère, l'Ardèche, leRhône and laLoire. More strictly the Cévennes encompasses the Lozère and the Gard. TheParc national des Cévennes is almost entirely within Lozère.[15]
The principal towns and villages of the Cévennes areAlès,Le Vigan,Sumène,Valleraugue,Ganges, Hérault,Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort,Sauve,Lasalle,Saint-André-de-Valborgne,Saint-Jean-du-Gard,Anduze,Florac,Saint-Germain-de-Calberte,le Pont-de-Montvert,Villefort,Génolhac,Bessèges,Saint-Ambroix,Gagnières,Les Vans,Mende.
The Cévennes mountains run from southwest (Grandes causses (Causses de Blandas and Larzac) to northeast (Monts duVivarais), with the highest point being theMont Lozère (1699m). TheMont Aigoual (1567m) is on the border of two departments. TheLoire andAllier flowing towards the Atlantic Ocean, as well as theArdèche and tributaryChassezac,Cèze, the different riversGardons to theRhône,Vidourle,Hérault andDourbie that flow to theMediterranean Sea, have their headwaters in the Cévennes.Cévennes National Park was created in the region in 1970 and theParc Naturel Régional des Monts d'Ardèche also preserves some of the natural areas. Two canyons are near the region: theGorges de la Jonte (theJontegorge) and theGorges du Tarn (theTarn gorge). This is a socio-economic marginal region, while bio-geographically, there is altitudinal stratification and a gradient between the mountainous centre and the mediterranean littoral ecologies.[15]
The Cévennes form the south eastern fragment of theMassif Central, separated from the relatedMontagne Noire by thelimestoneCausses. The basement rocks ofgranites andschists were uplifted by theVariscan orogeny forming adiscontinuity, with the subsequenterosion infilling the lower voids for much ofPermian andTriassic period (280–195 Ma), while changing sea levels added a thick limestone covering, with only the tops of the Cévennes protruding as islands in theJurassic sea. This in turn was eroded. In lateCretaceous and earlyTertiary times, further mountain building occurred. TheAlpine orogeny lifted and deformed theAlps and thePyrenees, though the Massif Central acted as a rigid block, and the cover rocks remained mostly horizontal. Some have been folded through laterfaulting at the time of the opening of the western Mediterranean in Tertiary times. The principal rivers of the region have cut deeply into the limestone forming deep gorges:Gorges du Tarn,Gorges de la Jonte,Lot,Gorges de l'Ardèche,Cèze etc.[16] The Cévennes form thewatershed between the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
Transhumance is most likely the beginning of human activity in the Cévennes[17]: 23 but little trace has been found of humans from thePaleolithic era except in the southern portion aroundGanges andSaint-Hippolyte-du-Fort which contains a large quantity of caves rich with archeological evidence such as "La Roque Aynier" (Ganges), and "Baume Dolente" (Vebron) which suggest the presence ofMagdalenian peoples (17,000–12,000 BCE).[17]: 25
By theNeolithic epoch, which lasted from about 12,000 BCE to around 2,300 BCE in France (Bronze Age in France),transhumance and hunting were prevalent throughout the entire Cévennes with developments such as pottery moving from south to north in the region. Sheep were common in Mediterranean France before 7000 BCE[17]: 23 and numerous prehistoric pots and tools have been recovered dating from as early as 4000 BCE.[18] Around this time manyMegalithic constructions such asstone circles,dolmen, andmenhirs appeared in the area, with the second largest megalithic site in Europe, the stone rows ofBondons [fr],[19] being created around 3,000–2,500 BCE,[20] and important sites such as the stone circles aroundBlandas in the south appearing between 3,500–2,500 BCE.[21][22]
TheCelts arrived in the area sometime in theIron Age between 800–400 BCE, and most of what is known about their presence in the area is from Latin historians.[23] In the 3rd century BCE, theArverne Confederation was formed of several tribes who used the Cévennes as a defensive feature to prevent the Romans from taking their territories.[24] By the time the Romans successfully conquered the area in 121 BC, several tribes of celticGauls were living around the Cévennes: theRuteni in the west, theGabali in the north, theVolcae Arecomici in the south, theHelvii in the southeast and theVellavi in the northeast.[25] TheVolcae Arecomici voluntarily surrendered their territory to the Romans,[26] and theArverni gave up much territory in a treaty that nevertheless preserved their independence.
Under Roman control,Le Vigan was part of the Roman "Provincia," (henceProvence) calledGallia Narbonensis.Julius Caesar crossed the Cévennes mountains in the winter of 52 BCE, having his soldiers clear paths in up to six feet of snow, to attack theAverne Confederation.[27]: 231
TheVisigoths took control of the western half of Gallia Narbonensis in 462 CE, a part known asSeptimania which included Le Vigan, and they retained control despite attempts in 586 and 589 CE when theFrankish,Merovingian KingGuntram attempted to conquer the area from the north.
In 587 the region came underCatholic rule with the conversion of the Visigoth kingReccared I. In 719, theMoorAl-Samh conqueredSeptimania as part of theUmayyad invasion of Gaul and theFranks struggled to take it back over the next several decades, but the southern slopes of the Cévennes were permanently reconquered by 752. KingPepin the Short reconquered the whole of Septimania in 759.
In theHigh Middle Ages, the region saw the flourishing ofRomanesque architecture and monastic implantation, likeMazan Abbey. It was during this time that large-scale clearings took place under the lead of abbots and monks, allowing more space to be cultivated by the local people.
The northern part of the region suffered greatly from theHundred Years War. The English and theirmercenaries occupied theGevaudan and raided theVelay. In 1380Bertrand Duguesclin died of illness while besiegingChateauneuf-de-Randon, a fortified city then under English occupation.
FrenchProtestants, also called theHuguenots, were established in the Cévennes by the beginning of the 16th century. They were often persecuted and lacked the freedom to worship openly, so they kept away from cities. They worshiped in deserted wilderness areas: forests, caves, and gullies.[28] TheEdict of Nantes in 1598 gave some relief and freedom of worship to Protestants but also concentrated the power of the Catholic Church in France.[29]
TheEdict of Fontainebleau, on October 1685, revoked theEdict of Nantes, and forbade Protestant worship services. It called for the destruction of temples, exiling pastors, and forced Catholic instruction on the children. The borders were closed in response to the exodus of Huguenots from the area and the resulting economic losses. The Huguenots who stayed resisted and, known asCamisards in the Cévennes, they took up arms to fight for their religious freedom. As many as 3,000 Protestants fought against 30,000 royal troops from 1702 till 1704.[30] Sporadic fighting continued until 1715.[31] TheEdict of Versailles in 1787,[32] and theFrench Revolution and theDeclaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1789,[33] finally brought a political solution to the struggles and gave non-Catholics the right to practice their religion openly.
In the 21st century, the region still has a large community of FrenchProtestants. They identify asHuguenots, descendants of peoples who have inhabited the mountains since before the 16th century. During the reign ofLouis XIV, much of the Huguenot population fled France, particularly following theRevocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. The Protestant community in the Cévennes largely remained in place, protected from attack by the hilly terrain. This area became a refuge from persecution for other Huguenots during the time.
In 1702, this Huguenot population, dubbed theCamisards, rose up against the monarchy to protect their religious freedom.[34] The two sides agreed to peace in 1715, which enabled the local Protestant Huguenot population to continue living in the Cévennes. Their descendants have continued to live there to the present day.
DuringWorld War II, a network of families in the Cévennes sheltered a number of Jews from capture by the Nazis. These efforts, organized by local Protestant pastors, ultimately protected hundreds from capture and likely death.[35]
3-hourTGV fromParis, 1h30 flight fromLondon (Luton) toNîmes (Garons), the closest international airport and 3h30 drive fromBarcelona.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
