At a whim I decided to taken monochrome photographs in Le Vigan on the slopes of Mont Aigoual. The Benedictine monks of St Guilhem le Desert built the Priory of Saint Peter here in the 10C and the town, walled, developed around the Priory. The monks also developed the farming of chestnuts. The Priory was burned down in the Wars of Religion in the 16C when the population converted to Protestantism.
The Vieux Pont dates from the 12C and in this small area one really does feel ‘Mediaeval’.
The Arre river flows through the town.
By the 18C the area was calmer, becoming prosperous through agriculture (chestnuts, apples) and silk. Substantial mansions in the town testify to the wealth of merchants, such as the Faventines family who owned the Chateau d’Assas.
And that night the very full, bright moon again.
You may be interested in
The Musée Cévenol – an excellent museum in an old silk weaving mill on the river
The Faventines family of Le Vigan
Le Vigan
A walk around Le Vigan
Walking in the Cevennes looks a useful & interesting book, with good background material
Candy Blackham
Thank you – I was lucky. Black & white gives quite a different effect – less distracting.
runner500
Some of those black and white photos are lovely – I particularly like the one with the full reflection of the bridge.