LES VILLAGES MORTS DU CAUSSE DE MENDE : "LE GERBAL" ET "LA CHAUMETTE"

On the Causse de Mende, above the town, there are two villages that were sold to the State by their last inhabitants in 1905: "le Gerbal" and "la Chaumette".

At that date, there was one inhabitant left in "Le Gerbal" and one family in "La Chaumette". A far cry from the fifteen or so families who lived here in the early 19th century.

These villages lived on sheep breeding and wheat cultivation, but from the 16th century onwards, the demand for wool exploded in Europe.

Flocks grew ever larger, and deforestation intensified, leading to soil exhaustion.

These impoverished, washed-out lands were ceded to the state, which planted the forests of today.

All that remains of these villages are the ruins of their dwellings, with the exception of a group of houses at La Chaumette, restored by the ONF in the 1960s.

These houses, built entirely of limestone, are typical of the habitat of the Causse region. The main building has two levels: living quarters on the first floor and storage space upstairs.