CITÉ MÉDIÉVALE DU MALZIEU

It is with the construction of an oppidum (defense shelters) directly above the town that the history of Malzieu begins. The Gabales, inhabitants of what would later become Gévaudan, settled around the villa Malzio built below. The final name will be attributed to the revolution: Le Malzieu. Over time, the village grew in importance until it became a dependency of the Duchy of Mercoeur in the 11th century. Very important family of Gévaudan and Auvergne, it made Malzieu one of the strongholds of the region. From the 11th to the 13th century, the mighty walls with impressive towers and the castles of the city and its surroundings were erected. Today, in addition to the ramparts and a few towers, you can still see the Upper Gate, one of the three entrances to the city, and the remains of "Fort Antic". The city then adorned itself with its monuments, its squares and streets with their character still preserved. The highlight of the history of Malzieu was the plague of the 17th century which killed 80% of its population. In order to sanitize the city, the apothecary Jean Conché set fire to the houses affected by the plague, followed by a fire which ravaged a large part of the city. Le Malzieu was then rebuilt with the help of Italian masons, giving a unique character to the city. Most of the facades are listed in the inventory of historical monuments of France. Among the monuments of the city, the Saint-Hippolyte collegiate church is the one that presents the most interest. On the site there are three churches which have succeeded each other since the 12th century. Today, you can discover within this neo-Romanesque building one of the jewels of Lozère: the statue of the Virgin of Apcher. It is a Virgin in Majesty, in wood, which is characterized by the poverty of the metal which covered it (62.5% tin, 35% lead, 2.5% various impurities) . Today there are only four or five statues of this type. In order to discover Malzieu city more closely, do not hesitate to take advantage of the Malzieu loop circuit (16 km, 4 hours) or even the guided tour all year round on request from the Tourist Office or via the historic route made up of 28 stops.

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