DiscoverMarvejolsFormer royal town of Gévaudan

Marvejols

Marvejols, the former royal town of Gévaudan, is nestled at the crossroads of three natural regions: Margeride to the northeast with the Boulaine mountain,Aubrac to the northwest and the Grands Causses to the south. The town of Marvejols, rebuilt in the 17th century by Henri IV after the Wars of Religion, is a welcoming village, now classified as one of the “Most Beautiful Detours in France”. Marvejols has an architecture marked by its medieval past, but also by the Renaissance period: narrow streets, fortified gates and old houses.

Getting there

The history of the town of Marvejols

Heart of Gévaudan

In the 11th century, Marvejols was a small town near Grèzes and the Monastier monastery. It was also close to the Roc de Peyre, where the main castle of the barony of the Lords of Peyre, of which Marvejols was a part, stood. In 1307, the signing of the “acte de paréage” (an act dividing Gévaudan into three zones: bishop’s land, king’s land and communal land) between Guillaume VI Durand, bishop of Mende, and Louis VII, king of France, led to the town’s expansion. Marvejols became the administrative capital of the King of France’s lands in Gévaudan.

Marvejols

Ancient fortified town

The town of Marvejols was fortified in the 1360’s. The town wall has three gates, destroyed during the Wars of Religion in the 16th century and later rebuilt by Henri IV when he drew up the Edict of Nantes in 1589:

The Porte du Soubeyran, where today there is a small archaeological museum displaying discoveries made during excavations around Marvejols. This collection of ancient objects will enable you to learn a little more about the former capital of Gévaudan.

The Porte de Chanelles and Porte du Therond, where you’ll find two bronze sculptures by Emmanuel Auricoste depicting Henri IV and the Beast of Gévaudan (marked on the base “executed in Marvejols in 1954”).

The textile industry

Marvejols’ past

From the early 19th century, the construction of factories brought a certain prosperity to the town. By 1850, the town had four spinning mills, four fulling mills and three dyeing plants employing 600 workers. After this production peak, Marvejols’ textile industry went into slow decline during the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century.

Marvejols is a journey through time and history…