CROIX DE JUSTICE - LE MALZIEU-VILLE
From the top of its six meters, the cross of the market place of Malzieu testifies to the power of the village in the 14th century. The presence of a burnt hand in the top of the shaft on the east side also testifies to the vocation of this monument, cross of justice of the Barons of Mercœur. This cross could date from the 14th century but no mention of it certifies it.
Seat of the barony of Mercoeur, Le Malzieu was a city of justice which depended on Riom in Auvergne and not on Languedoc like the rest of Gévaudan. People of dress lived there in great numbers
The cross present on the market place attests to the former function of the town. From the top of its six meters, it is a cross erected on a five-degree pedestal, which is also that of the old pillory of the city. On the east side it is provided with a hand of justice, now burnt at the stake. This cross could date back to the 14th century, but no mention of it certifies it.
This cross is referred to as the justice cross because of the close link between the functioning of justice and this symbol. This cross could bear witness to the harsh conflicts that often arose in the exercise of justice. In Gévaudan, these included the bishop of Mende and the other barons who bitterly disputed the prerogative of justice between 1307 and 1789.