Aubrac

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Aubrac is a town and area of country in the southern Massif Central of France. It has been a member of the Natura 2000 network since August 2006). The Aubrac area straddles three départements - Cantal, Aveyron and Lozère - and three régions - Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon. This country is a plateau averaging 1000 meters of altitude with its highest point at 1400m.

1 Landscape
2 History
3 Culture
4 References
5 Cities and villages in the Aubrac Region
6 External links

[edit] Landscape

Aubrac landscape

Aubrac town & country

Aubrac landscape

[edit] History

Aubrac (town): the Domerie.

By 1000 BC the Celts had occupied the region. In the period of Roman Gaul , Gaulish tribes called Gabalians (Lozère) and Rutènians (Aveyron) occupied the area. Julius Caesar stated that the Gabalians were survivors of the Battle of Alesia. Their capital Anderitum became Javols. The Rutenians, who may have come from the Danube delta and who gave their name to the Rouergue, became allied with Vercingetorix.

In the early Middle Ages, Grégory of Tours recorded an incident of a Pagan rite at the lake near Mount Hélanus. Later, a pilgrim of St. James, Adallard (a Flemish viscount), survived after a fight in the area; out of gratitude to God he built the Dômerie (hospital) at Aubrac. The town of Aubrac grew around the hospital.

The Dômerie was home to monks until the French Revolution. The monks fed and sheltered passing pilgrims, and rang a "Bell of the Lost" during times of snow. The rules of life at the Dômerie in Latin dating from the Middle Ages are available in an online version.^[1]

In the 11th century a certain Gilbert, who married Tiburge, countess of the Provence, appointed himself count of Gévaudan. This Gilbert had a daughter who was married to Raymond Bérengar, count of Barcelona, and brought him all the rights to Gévaudan, Aubrac and Carladès.

The rule of the counts of Barcelona in Gévaudan gave rise to a serious argument with the bishop of Mende, who considered himself lord and count of the country. After many local conflicts and the war between the lords of Armagnac's French kings Charles VII and Louis XI this country lost its true identity. However, the pilgrim route of saint James has always brought many visitors.

[edit] Culture

Every last weekend of August, a literary festival takes place in Aubrac: Rencontres Aubrac

[edit] References

Médiéval latin text

[edit] Cities and villages in the Aubrac Region

Les communes de l'Aubrac A-E	Les communes de l'Aubrac F-M	Les communes de l'Aubrac M-T
Albaret-le-Comtal Alpuech Anterrieux Arzenc-d'Apcher Aurelle-Verlac Bonnefon Brameloup Brion Cassuéjouls Chauchailles Chaudes-Aigues La Chaze-de-Peyre Condom-d'Aubrac Curières Deux-Verges Espinasse	Fau-de-Peyre Fournels Fridefont Grandvals Jabrun La_Fage-Montivernoux La Trinitat Lacalm Laguiole Les Hermaux Les Salces Lieutadès Lunet Maurines Montézic Montpeyroux	Noalhac Prades-d'Aubrac Prinsuéjols Recoules-d'Aubrac Saint-Juéry Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac Saint-Laurent-de-Muret Saint-Laurent-de-Veyrès Saint-Martial Sainte-Colombe-de-Peyre Saint-Rémy Saint-Urcize Salgues Soulages-Bonneval Termes Trélans