The Church of Puylaurent

The Church of Puylaurent in Lozere 1 The church, well consolidated, can defy the centuries. The presbytery, successfully restored, retains its old charm and regains its stability. The church, now listed in the additional inventory of historical monuments, remains the main attraction for the ever-increasing number of visitors.

The Church of Puylaurent in Lozere 2 The six-bayed apse is adorned with an arcade composed of semicircular arches resting on small corner columns with capitals worn by time. The portal with three bare semicircular voussoirs opens onto the nave crossing, south side. The wall bell tower has two bays. The nave, barrel-vaulted and slightly broken, is divided into two crossings, it does not have direct lighting and features decorative arcades.

The broken triumphal arch makes a leap over the nave, falling onto adjacent twin columns. The apse, slightly narrower than the nave, is semi-circular in shape. It is adorned with an arcade composed of six semicircular arches that support the cross-ribbed vault. It is only lit from the south side by narrow, deeply recessed windows on the interior.

The capitals reproduce acanthus leaves, figures, and linear designs. The thick cornice crowning the paired capitals of the triumphal arch is also sculpted. A modern chapel with ogival vaulting and lit by a bay window has been built on the first crossing of the south side. Of course, the style is different, but the lighting brightens and enriches the whole.

Human habitation in the region dates back at least to prehistory. Although huts have not left traces, the Thort domain has been present since 1800 or 2100 BCE. It is the "Palet de Gargantua." Is it Puylaurent or St Laurent-du-Fraisse? Both names appear in ancient documents, perhaps with a preference for "Podium Laurent." After the Celts came the Gauls, the Romans, and the Franks.

The Church of Puylaurent in Lozere 4 Closer to us, various authorities have succeeded or overlapped each other; the King, distant, the Bishop, powerful Lords, such as the Randon de Châteauneuf, then the Randon de Luc who became the "Polignac," later the Morangies, etc.

The castle existed and is mentioned in 1265. Around the 1600s, only the "huts of a tower" remained. Mentioned in documents from the 13th century, the parish likely dates back to the 10th or 11th century, like many other parishes in the region.

A priory of Benedictine monks, a subsidiary of the great Abbey of St. Gilles, existed in Prevencheres, and the simple priory of Puylaurent was attached to it. Lasting ties have therefore existed between the two parishes. History cannot forget them.

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Puylaurent Dam in Lozere The Puylaurent Dam
Height: 73m on foundation. Length: 220m in clay. Capacity: 12 million m³ of water. A flood evacuation structure in the central position. A power plant with a capacity of 3400KW located below the flood evacuation structure.

The Puylaurent Dam is the largest dam built in France at the end of the 20th century. Its construction began in June 1990 and was completed in May 1996 with its impoundment. The project mobilized 15 companies under the supervision of the departmental equipment syndicate of Ardeche and the technical direction of EDF Hydraulic Engineering. 200 people contributed to 500,000 hours of work.

The arch-gravity dam is particularly suited to narrow valleys where the rock supports are solid. It elastically resists the water pressure, which is distributed along the arch and applied to its supports. The foundation's watertightness is reinforced by a cement injection curtain. Water passes through the dam either by turbine generation of electricity or through a gate.

Ashes have been incorporated into the concrete to replace part of the cement. These ashes come from the slag heap of the Albi coal-fired power plant, operated by EDF. Using these ashes results in more resistant, more compact, and more watertight concrete. The flood evacuation structure, designed for a flood of 560m³ per second, is equipped with special devices, the Hydroplus spillways. In the event of heavy floods, they successively pivot and release the flow of water over the threshold.

Former resort hotel with a garden on the banks of the Allier, L'Étoile Guesthouse is located in La Bastide-Puylaurent, nestled between Lozère, Ardèche, and the Cevennes in the mountains of Southern France. Positioned at the crossroads of GR®7, GR®70 Chemin Stevenson, GR®72, GR®700 Voie Regordane (Saint Gilles), GR®470 Sources and Gorges of the Allier, GRP® Cevenol, Montagne Ardechoise, and Margeride. It offers numerous loop routes for hiking and day-long cycling excursions. Ideal for a relaxing stay.