Montjézieu
The “Mount of the Jews
According to tradition, the commune owes its name to a colony of Jews established in ancient times. Their presence on the site has been attested since 1121. We know from a deed of parage between Philippe le Bel and Guillaume Durand, bishop of Gévaudan, that the castle of Montjézieu was referred to as “Castrum de Monte Judeo”, the Mount of the Jews, in 1307. That year, Guillaume V Durand decided to banish them from Gévaudan, following the directives of Philippe le Bel who, a year earlier, had decreed their expulsion from the kingdom of France and the confiscation of all their property. The Jewish community did, however, return to Montjézieu a few years later.
Montjézieu was home to a synagogue, which gave its name to the square. It was described in the 19th century by Canon Bosse. It consisted of a large room measuring 6m by 9m on the first floor of an old building, with a cupboard evoking the Ark of the Covenant under an east-facing archway.
There is evidence that Jewish communities settled in several parts of Gévaudan as early as the 12th century. It is likely, however, that these settlements were established much earlier. During the 13th century, the Pope repeatedly forbade “vexing” them. However, as early as 1290, the bishop of Mende, Guillaume V Durand, defined several prohibitions in his “Instructions”. For example, they were not allowed to employ Christian servants, and were not allowed to go out on the last three days of Holy Week. In public, they must wear a roundel of a color different from that of their clothing, so that it is clearly visible.
