From the valley of Verzolet to the plateau of Hermelix

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.

How a lavogne works is very easy to understand, just imagine a gigantic upturned umbrella that collects rainwater!At the beginning there was a natural pond with an 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. To start with, 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!

Les dolmens datent du milieu du 3ème millénaire avant notre aire. Il s'agit de chambres sépulcrales ouvertes, bâties sous tumulus et destinées à recevoir des inhumations successives. Les dolmens sont nombreux sur le Causse, les dalles se trouvant à profusion sur les terrains calcaires. Elles ont été transportées à l'aide de rouleaux de bois et leviers en bordure des anciens chemins.Ce dolmen simple sans dalle de chevet est sur un tumulus d'environ 8 m. La dalle de couverture est un peu inclinée, en raison de l'affaissement d'un des supports.