Marvejols (; oc, Maruèjols), is a commune in the Lozère

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in southern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Marvejolais''.

Geography

The commune is located in the Massif central. The Colagne flows southward through the middle of the commune and crosses the town.

History

A medieval city exemplifying the Occitan culture, Marvejols was strengthened during the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

against the English. Following the

St. Bartholomew's Day massacre The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (french: Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy) in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence, directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French War ...

, the town walls were reinforced to protect the Huguenot population during the French Wars of Religion, Protestant Capt. Matthieu Merle based himself at Marvejols during his conquest of the Gévaudan. But, having sided with the then Protestant Henri of Navarre, the future King Henry IV of France, the town was besieged and burned to the ground by the

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Henry had it rebuilt in 1601 in recognition of the town's support for him.

Population

Monuments and sights

*La porte du Soubeyran, a town gateway dating from the fourteenth century. Two other medieval gates survive, La Porte de Chanelles to the south and the smaller Porte du Therond, to the east. Despite some 17th-century repairs, they still keep their medieval charm. *Notre Dame de la Carce dating from the end of the 13th century, becoming collegiate in 1310. *Two large bronze sculptures by

Emmanuel Auricoste Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the ...

can be seen at two of the entrances to Marvejols. One represents the mythical

Beast of Gévaudan The Beast of Gévaudan (french: La Bête du Gévaudan, ; oc, La Bèstia de Gavaudan) is the historic name associated with a man-eating animal or animals that terrorised the former province of Gévaudan (consisting of the modern-day department of ...

, the other, that of Henry IV of France, inscribed "exécuté à Marvejols en 1954" (Executed in 1954), which refers, of course, to the date of the sculpture, not the King's demise. *The wolf park of Gévaudan: Over 100 wolves live in a semi-natural state in an area of hills above Marvejols, once renowned for the animals.

Culture

''Espoir Oc'' (Hope for Oc) is an association founded about twenty years ago, to promote and develop the Occitan language and culture. Based in Marvejols, they organize, on the first weekend of July, a festival based on the theme of the Middle Ages. Two big events take place; on the Saturday evening a great banquet consisting entirely of regional produce, finishing with a dance; on the Sunday morning, the mass is said in Occitan.

Notable people

* Rock band Subway is made up of four women, all originally from Marvejols. *

Gilbert de Chambrun Count Gilbert de Chambrun (1909–2009) was a French politician. He was a member of the French Resistance and he served in the National Assembly. Early life Gilbert de Chambrun was born on 2 November 1909 in Paris, France. His father, Pierre de ...

, mayor (1953–1965). * Armand Blanquet du Chayla, French admiral. *

Samuel Darchy Samuel Darchy (born May 30, 1980 in Marvejols) is a French professional football player. Currently, he plays in the Championnat National for Rodez AF Rodez Aveyron Football (; commonly referred to as le Raf or simply Rodez) is a French associ ...

, footballer

In popular culture

The latter part of the story in the movie

Betty Blue ''Betty Blue'' (french: 37°2 le matin, lit=37.2°C in the morning) is a 1986 French erotic psychological drama film directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix, based on the 1985 novel ''37°2 le matin'' by Philippe Djian. The film stars Béatrice Dalle ...

takes place in Marvejols.

Twin town

Colombo,

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Cockermouth, UK

References

External links

Marvejols en Lozère.Espoir OcUn cop era la Lausera
{{authority control Communes of Lozère Gévaudan