The village of Ardes

From St Germain-Lembron, follow the mountain route. Ardes is at 12 km away on the edge of a valley. To visit : in the lower part of the town is the church, and in upper part of the town is the main street, further on from there is the zoo.
It is a bit like a bridge between the golden plains of the Lembron and the grasslands of the high volcanic plateaus of the Cézallier.
Home to a priory and then a large community of priests until the 18th century, the lower district had both religious and artisanal functions. It is easy to spot the church of Saint-Dizaint, a tall pinkish brown tuff vessel.
Founded in the 13th century, the "upper" or "new" city of Ardes is the expression of a seigneurial will. The Lords of Mercoeur imposed themselves in the 12th-13th centuries until they became one of the largest estates in Auvergne. The regular plan of Ardes is characteristic of medieval urban creations. On either side of the Grande-Rue are distributed narrow and deep parcels called "strips". You will see them as you walk through passages that are sometimes covered.