N°4 Causses and Valleys

L'Église actuelle de style néo-gothique est la cinquième église construite à Saint-Affrique. Elle fut achevée en 1905.À l'intérieur, découvrez :- La statue de Notre Dame de la Miséricorde, sculptée en bois doré datant du XVème siècle,- Les vitraux du choeur retraçant la légende d'Africanus.- L'Autel datant du XVI-XVIIè siècle.En sortant, admirez le clocher atteignant 71 m de hauteur.

Pourquoi Saint-Affrique avec deux F ?Au Vème siècle, les Wisigoths Ariens persécutaient les communautés catholiques et interdisaient l’accès aux églises. Africanus, évêque, fut chassé du Comminges.La légende raconte qu’Africanus aurait terminé son exil dans un hameau au bord de la Sorgues et qu’il en aurait profité pour évangéliser les habitants. Il y aurait aussi accompli de nombreux miracles (voir  les vitraux du Chœur de l’église Notre Dame de la Miséricorde).Le nom de cet évêque trouverait son origine dans la langue parlée par les Wisigoths et plus précisément dans la racine Affric ou Effric, signifiant « puissant et affreux ».Le nom de Saint-Affrique fut attesté en 942 dans le cartulaire (recueil des droits et des titres d’un monastère ou d’un évêché) de Vabres l’Abbaye. Une anecdote : Saint-Affrique n’a pas toujours conservé ce nom là. Pendant la Révolution Française on appela la ville Montagne sur Sorgues. En effet, à cette période il était de coutume de modifier les noms à consonance ecclésiastique.

How a lavogne works is very easy to understand; imagine a gigantic upturned umbrella that collects rainwater!In the beginning, there was a natural pond with impervious clay soil. This small pond was a real boon for people who quickly set these watering sources up as they were so critical on the causses where water seeps into the cracked limestone. First, they tiled the inside of the pond and finished off the work by laying paving stones around the edge of the pond to preserve the water quality and prevent gullying due to the large flocks trampling the soil when the sheep come to drink.The pond tiling was made either with lauzes, flat stones or with paving stones laid one after the other.Once completed, this gigantic upturned umbrella would provide a great variety of animals with a welcoming habitat, just look down over a lavogne and see how it swarms and buzzes with life; what a frenzy of activity!From this lavogne, you will enjoy a stunning view to the north over the Combalou, a residual mound that shelters the Roquefort maturing caves.

The Roquefeuil family lived here over a period of eight centuries, from 1250 to 1810, the date on which the owning family had to sell the castle. The building was then sold to different owners and part of it was converted into a farmhouse. Then in 1962, a couple from the Roquefeuil family bought back the stronghold.The castle and the whole of the old village were included in a walled area called a castrum which spread out between the Sorgues and the Verzolet rivers. The castrum was originally composed (11th century) of only a small castle that was later extended during the 13th or 14th century to protect people from the clashes during the One Hundred Years War.

This village was controlled by the Templars Commandery during the 12th century and has kept much of its medieval architecture with its old houses clustered around the Tower. There is also the tombstone of Médora Leig, a daughter of the English poet Lord Byron which you can visit in the graveyard.