The Clock Tower
This tower is located on the site of the old Saint Etienne castle, one of the two castles which, in feudal times, controlled the city on behalf of the bishop and the king.No document tells us when the current tower was built. End of the 12th century?Some people say it was a watchtower. But seems unlikely because we do not see any trace of terrace or platform at the top. In fact, this tower would be only a staircase giving access to the town hall to the south, to another dwelling destroyed for a long time to the north and to the clock. According to an inventory of possessions of the municipality in 1639, the Tower would have been bought from Sieur de la roche, since "time immemorial".It included in the basement the prison and upstairs the "common house", ie the town hall.Don't forget to look to the left of the stairs at the window of this prison, with his enormous wrought iron bars.In this inventory, there is no question of the clock. Given the importance of this one for the municipality and his cost, this means that it should not yet exist at the end of the 12th century.In the deliberations of the municipal council we see that his maintenance represented, in the years 1800-1820, nearly a quarter of the municipal budgets
Gift of the Confrerie de la Pouteille
Saint Frézal Chapel
In its beautiful green setting, the chapel of Saint Frézal is one of the oldest religious buildings in Gévaudan. Dating from the 10th and 12th century it is classified as a historical monument. Inside, the chapel is 20 meters long by 4.70 meters wide for a height of 8.50 meters. The nave, with wide doubleaux has four spans of unequal width. The pilasters are flat, a simple projection takes their place. On the north side, external buttresses support them: they are there to protect the building against the shock of the waters of the stream in the event of strong floods. Windows of Romanesque appearance illuminate three of the bays. The apse, in a semicircle, is covered with a cul-de-four. Above the semicircular portal rises a small bell tower with an arcade. In the heart of a white sandstone sarcophagus, in the shape of a bathtub, shelters the remains of Saint Frézal, bishop of Gévaudan in the year 820. This one would have been assassinated by his nephew Brucilinus who hoped thus to seize the load and to his uncle's fortune. The cult of Saint Frézal is very widespread in Gévaudan Apart from this chapel, which was a parish church until 1802, we can cite Saint Frézal d'Albuges as well as Saint Frézal de Ventalon. He is also the patron saint of Grézes, Chaulhac and Julianges. The source is a resurgence of water that falls on the Causse de Fraissinet. Water, summer and winter, gushes out with a regular flow and supplies part of the town of La Canourgue. The basin dug in a white sandstone bank retains the water which then escapes in a pretty waterfall. This reserve seems to have existed in the time of the Gallo-Roman.
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The Celeste Albaret Library
The library was formerly housed in a small room in the town hall. It was installed in 1994 in a XVII century house renovated to welcome it. It was given the name of a Celestial Canourguaise Albaret, whom the famous writer Marcel Proust called "my dear Celeste". Céleste Gineste was the daughter of a miller from Auxillac, commune of La Canourgue, and in 1913 she married Odilon Albaret, Marcel Proust's official taxi driver. They went on to live in Paris, and in 1914 she entered the service of Proust as a chambermaid and cook. But in fact, for eight years, until Proust's death in 1922, she gradually became his indispensable confidante. Almost every night, for several hours, Proust told her about the evenings from which he came from and the people he had met. He tirelessly monologized, thought out loud in front of her, told her about the book he was reading. After the death of the great writer, she, who was famous around the world for being the one who had known him best, refused to speak of him for 50 years. And then one day she agreed to open her heart and her memory. In 1973 finally appeared his book "Monsieur Proust". It is on one of the shelves in our library.
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Place au Blé
The Place au Blé is bordered to the north by the church, to the south by the houses built at the foot of the Castle Tower erected after the defeat of Poitiers in 1356. It has been present for more than 1000 years and in the heart of the village. The location of the houses has remained unchanged since the 15th century, and probably for much longer. Only one remains today from this period, the half-timbered and corbelled one that was saved and restored about ten years ago. Two others, including the magnificent "houses of Agnes Sorel" were unfortunately demolished barely 50 years ago. The first written documents that we have on this square indicate that at the beginning of the XVII century, the market was held there on Tuesdays. One must look at the "Halle au Blé", with its two Roman columns, a probable indication of the presence of a temple on the site of the current church. The house that has been covering them since 1793 houses the press, a memory of the not so distant time, where vines were cultivated in La Canourgue. Under this hall were once two essential measuring instruments for the city of fairs and markets that was La Canourgue: the half toise of 0.996 meters on the west column which made it possible to measure the length of the woolen sheets, during their sale, the "foiral stone", drilled with a hole with a capacity of 100 liters, where the wheat was measured.
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Place du Portal
The Portal was the main gate of the rampart. It allowed entry into La Canourgue from the west. This rampart, the third known, was built after the partial destruction of the city by the leaguers during the wars of religion in 1591. It had six towers and three gates, the large one, the Portal, towards the West and two smaller, the Portalou to the South and the Postern to the North. A survey made in 1762 shows that this rampart had a length of 450 meters, with a ditch of 9 meters of average width, where the water of the Urugne river flowed. It was demolished shortly after to allow the construction of the houses which today surround the medieval town. The rue Neuve, coming from the west, very narrow was not doubled until 1955 by the avenue du Lot. An old tradition says that it is on this street at the "granting barrier" at the level of the travelers' hotel, that the keys to the city were handed over in 1204 by King Jacques d'Aragon to Count Raymond of Toulouse , as security for a large loan made by the latter. At that time, there was no access between Place du Portal and the Prés Commun. A high rock descending from Fort Saint Amans towards the Clock Tower barred the valley. No doubt in the 15th century, this rock was pierced by the road and the tunnel where the stream passes
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The House in Pans de Bois
During the Middle Ages, in order to gain a little surface inside the city enclosed in its ramparts, without further reducing the width of the streets, many houses added "Corbels", that is to say that the first floor overflowed, often largely, over the ground floor. For reasons of sanitation and fire fighting, these corbels were banned in the narrow streets, probably in the 17th century. The owners were obliged to remove them and put the floors in line with the ground floor. There are therefore only two corbelled houses left today, those that were not overlooked: Place au Blé, is above the basin of the town's mill. But if you look closely, you can see traces of these "planned" corbels on ten other houses. The half-timbered house in Place au Blé was in very poor condition. It was restored between 1993 and 1996. It is listed in the inventory of historical monuments. Note that between the half-timberings there is not cob, as in general, but tuff stone, light and resistant. We did not dare to repaint the wooden parts in yellow and bright red as they were originally. We do not know the name of the builder or builders of the house, but we have found, hidden in a crack in the fireplace, letters - exhibited on the first floor - proving that it was occupied in 1655 by a druggist, Mr.Manhe
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The Common Meadow
La Canourgue has been from time immemorial (after the disappearance of Banassac devastated by wars), one of the most important towns of Gévaudan, after Mende and Marvejols. Its fairs were famous, from before the year 1600. There were 4 main ones, March 2, June 30, September 14 and October 29. They always took place on a common groundcalled "the common pre". Located just south of the ramparts, it hadtwo parts via the Urugne River. It was not until the middle of the 19th centurythat this stream was covered, to create a road going towards Sainte Enimie,between the two rows of plane trees. We find many times in the deliberation ofthe municipal council the regulations of the rights of place, the location ofthe stalls of the merchants. The Griffou fountain, rebuilt and embellished in1861, was one of the 4 public fountains which supplied the population of Canourgese with drinking water. It was indeed impossible to drink the water ofthe Urugne River, as it was too polluted by the tidbits established upstream ofthe city. During the plague of 1721, there were 945 victims in 10 months at La Canourgue. To prevent the spread of the epidemic, a fence 3 meters high and more than 4 km long was built around the city, guarded by armed soldiers, it prohibited any unauthorized entry or exit.
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The Junction of the Channels
The Canourgue is built on canals that we see everywhere appear and disappear. For over a thousand years, water has been the main source of his activity and his wealth. The two main sources of the Urugne stream are the Malpas valley upstream from the golf course, and Saint Frézal which meet at Patus. Eight mills were installed there before entering the city: wheat flour, coarse grains, walnut oil, crushing of line sheets which were then dried in the Patus garden. In the city itself, three mills existed of which only one is still in use. The Urugne stream and these three mills explain the number of canals or beals that can be seen everywhere, in the open air or covered by houses. They all come together in the basin of the Place du Portal. It is the "junction of the canals": to the south of the Urugne leaving his tunnel, then the beal of the town's mill then the "Tour de Ville stream", former course of the Urugne, then, to the north , the Merderic, intermittent stream. La Canourgue is used to water and his sudden furies. Also bridges, canals and tunnels have been calibrated to prevent flooding. There are, however, from time to time: minor every 20 or 30 years, major and even catastrophic every 100 years. There was undoubtedly one in 1410 which destroyed the whole lower town. Afterwards, we don't remember the one from 1815, and the last one in 1911.
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The Renaissance House
This house was built in the middle of the 15th century on the ruins of an earlier house, of which we still see three arched stones to the right of the door. The position of these stones proves that the street was, at the time, meters below the current street, almost at the level of the stream. At that time, it's seems that belonged to a Carmantran family, a name that is still given to it today. A long time later it was occupied by the charity office, until 1878, when it was sold to the family who still live there today. The facade is very decorated, typical of the noble houses of the time: mullioned window, very elaborate moldings surrounding them, long cornice highlighting the first floor, with a stylized animal at each end. This facade was very degraded, in particular the mullions had been superseded because of the tax on the doors and windows, the moldings stopped up in order to be able to open the backwinds, the shop window of the store was enlarged, which weakened the facade. In 1929 the house was listed in the inventory of historical monuments. In 1997, thanks to subsidies from the State, the Department, the Municipality and the Confrérie de la Pouteille, the owners decided to proceed with a complete restoration, completed in 2001.
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The Collegiate Church of Saint Martin
The Holy Monastery would have been founded by Saint Enimie, sister of King Dagobert. It was ceded on July 4, 1065 to the Abbey of Saint Victor in Marseille, which in the 12th century built the current church, one of the largest in Gévaudan. His style is that of Auvergne pilgrimage churches: a long central nave, separated from the two interior naves by five openings with semicircular arches. To ensure the circulation of pilgrims in good conditions, the two side naves were extended by an ambulatory which encircled the heart. Three "bottomless" vaulted obsidioles were grafted on this walkout. This church has suffered many destruction over the centuries. In the 15th century and 16th century collapse of the choir and depredations by leaguers and Protestants, choir rebuilt and closed today by a large wall of a different style with a rectangular window behind the altar. In 1670, the "perch bell tower" collapsed in its turn, causing in its fall the last two spans of the church, which were never rebuilt. The church today is a bit disproportionate because it has kept his original height, but is almost twice as short as the original. Observe the bedside, which has remained in a very pure style, with its three round apses. Inside, admire the ample and harmonious ensemble of the naves and the chancel as well as the warm stone walls. See also the very beautiful Rhine Baroque-style organ, installed in 1998 at the back of the church.
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The Town Mill
This mill is one of 20 that have existed over the 5 km course of the Urugne (river), between his source and the Lot ( river ) where it flows. How old is it? No archive tells us. Can be from the Carolingian period, 800 - 1000. But what we are sure is that this canals, its dikes and their levels have not been modified since the 13th-14th century: the vault on which is located the small square of the tourist office is dated certain of that time. The mill building is much more recent, at least for his upper parts. The wheel was, as very often in Lozere, vertical axis, with a drop height of just over two meters. There used to be three millstones: wheat, other grains, nuts. It does not seem that this mill was used to tread woolen sheets. At the time when La Canourgue was one of the 4 or 5 main production centers of Gevaudan cloth, there must have been several fulling mills in the town, but not this one. We came to grind wheat there until the 1950s. Later the millstones were decommissioned, and a turbine installed, to provide electricity to the laundromat which operated until 1995. Notice, on the pink sandstone which surround the doors and windows, the marks made by the miller when he sharpened a kind of hammer with which he scraped the grooves of his grindstones.
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