The harsh climate on Mont Lozère explains why the various parts of a farm (living quarters, stables, barn, oven, etc.) are closely grouped together and communicate with each other, so that inhabitants did not need to go outside, especially in winter.
The roofs, originally made of rye thatch, were gradually replaced by schist tilestones. Inside there were normally two floors, low ceilings and small openings to minimise heat loss and preserve the family’s privacy within a collective lifestyle.
The main entrance lead straight into the common room, on the ground floor, which had the fireplace and door to the stables. The main facade of the living quarters faced south, framed by the stables and the farm buildings, while the mountain slope behind sheltered everything from the wind.
This architecture emerged from human settlements of the Roman period and the late Middle Ages. The Gallo-Roman mausoleum at Lanuéjols, in the Valdonnez Valley, bears witness to this. Large religious orders were also present: for almost five centuries the Hospitallers owned more than 5,000 hectares on the high slopes of Mont Lozère.