Attractions and Places To See around Le Plagnal - Top 20

Etymology: comes from Mas d’Adam, name of the old domain which was located at the site of the current village which was ceded by the lord of Géorant to the bishop of Viviers to allow him to found the abbey of Mazan. It all begins with the foundation of the Cistercian abbey in the heart of the village. This takes place between 1119 and 1122. At the beginning of the 12th century, canons came to settle on the site of Mas d’Adam (toponym that would evolve towards MAZAN), and were joined by monks from the abbey of Bonnevaux. These religious men built an immense abbey, of which only the remains are left today, which experienced a period of apogee that lasted until the Hundred Years' War. It gave birth to four other abbeys which are Bonneval, Sénanque, Sylvanès and le Thoronet as well as establishments of nuns. After this prosperous period, misfortunes followed one another at the abbey of Mazan: it was plundered by the great companies of the Hundred Years' War, then attacked by the Huguenots in the modern period. Before this last pillage, the monks, according to legend, would have melted a golden bell with all their treasures, which they would have buried somewhere, opposite and in front of the bull's eye, within earshot of the cock's crow. https://www.montagnedardeche.com/patrimoine-culturel/village-de-mazan-labbaye-2387/

The faithful trust in the help of the Mother of God – who in France is always venerated under the title “Notre-Dame” (which corresponds to the German name “Our Lady”) – was expressed by the French nun, mystic and Doctor of the Church, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (religious name Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, 1873 to 1897) as follows: “In trials or difficulties I turn to Mother Mary, whose gaze alone is enough to dispel all fear.”

South gate of the fortified town of Pradelles, an unmissable vestige during your visit

Work "A circle and a thousand fragments" by Felice Varini. https://www.ardeche-guide.com/lieux-de-visites/sites-historical-monuments/oeuvre-un-cercle-et-mille-fragments-de-felice-varini-4827079

In 1978, a few friends founded an association to safeguard and enhance the Château de Luc. Its purpose is to preserve and restore these vestiges, but also to deepen their history and make it known to the public. The work carried out jointly, association and successive municipal teams allowed the restoration of the keep in 1994 with the installation of orientation tables, then that of the main building in 2008 thus allowing the organization of animations at the Castle. THE MUNICIPALITY OF LUC AND THE ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDS OF THE CHÂTEAU DE LUC INVITE VISITORS TO RESPECT THESE PLACES THAT WILL SEE OUR HISTORY.

Around 1380, during the Hundred Years War, a large troop of Englishmen and road warriors tried to seize it, but in vain. During the Wars of Religion, a garrison on foot and on horseback was installed in this fortress to defend the region. Luc's castle seems to have been dismantled around 1630, on the order of Richelieu. In 1878, a statue of Notre Dame de Luc was erected on the keep. A few months later, Robert Louis Stevenson, on his trip to the Cévennes, passed in front of the castle and stopped at Luc. The Revolution, the abolition of feudal rights, the harsh climate, the challenge of time had greatly degraded it.

LUC, from the Latin LUCUS "Sacred Wood", is one of the oldest inhabited sites in Gévaudan. In Celtic times, the promontory on which this castle stands today was a place of worship dedicated to the God Mercury who gave his name to the forest of Mercoire. From the 12th century, a fortified castle replaced the dwellings. It becomes one of the most important in the region. The first owners bear the title of Prince of Luc, Count of Luc. Enlarged over the alliances, it has kept despite its state the imposing signs of a military fortress. Guardian of the Chemin de Regordane, the pilgrimage route of Saint Gilles, a nerve center between the provinces of Gévaudan and Vivarais, it came under the bishop of Le Puy. But over the centuries, the preponderance of the Bishop of Mende was recognized and the castle passed under his suzerainty. Seat of a co-lordship with the lords Bourbal des Choisinets, Agrain des Hubacs, it successively belonged to the most illustrious families of the region.

Located on the “chemin de Saint-Gilles”, Pradelles had a “Road Hospital”. This hospital is located below the city, because, if charity ordered passing pilgrims to be accommodated, prudence with regard to brigands and epidemics advised to do so "outside the walls". The statue of Notre-Dame, of which Robert-Louis Stevenson wrote, in 1878, "that it worked many miracles although it was made of wood", was discovered in 1512 near this hospital in a wooden chest buried at a unknown period. She was placed in the chapel adjoining the hospital. The current Notre-Dame chapel was built by the Dominicans, the first stone was laid on May 8, 1613. The bell tower was raised in 1655. The chapel was restored and redecorated from 1867 to 1876, the bell tower was remodeled in 1879, to accommodate the Bourdon (large bell with a deep sound). The stone dome topped with the statue of the Virgin was completed in 1889.