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The Middle Ages
The Cevennes National Park covers three departments (Lozere, Gard, Ardèche) with very different historical situations. This vast geographical area southeast of the Massif Central overlaps several counties of the Middle Ages: the Gevaudan, Rouergue, Vivarais and part of Lower Languedoc.
Four earldoms and five dioceses
The political map was overlaid by the ecclesiastical map, which was just as complex. There were no less than five dioceses, which were, from West to East: the Diocese of Rodez (split in half in the 14th century with the creation in the south of the Diocese of Vabres); Mende; Uzès; Nîmes; and Viviers.
This clearly had repercussions on art and architecture, with a great variety of churches, a large abbey, two commanderies and many castles. However, most of the National Park’s central zone is located in Lozère, the former Gévaudan.
Churches better preserved than castles
Historical studies of this period are lacking, and archaeological excavations are rare. Churches are the best preserved – but frequently modified – edifices because of their uninterrupted use. Local castles are mostly in ruins. The architectural heritage of the Middle Ages deserves a thorough analysis as a whole, to complement existing historical data.