Mont Gargan is a peak in the

Massif central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

, situated in the western edge of the commune of Saint-Gilles-les-Forêts in the department of Haute Vienne (87),

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

, France. The western slope of Mont Gargan, up to 100 metres from the summit, is in the commune of La Croisille Sur Briance. (No part of Mont Gargan is in the commune of Sussac, as previously implied). Mont Gargan is situated in the ''parc naturel régional de Millevaches en Limousin''. Its

occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

name is ''puèg Gerjant'' and it is the subject of numerous legends. Mont Gargan has an altitude of 731 metres; at the summit are the remains of a chapel built between 1868 and 1871 by Louis Joyeux with the support of the population, and dedicated to ''Notre-Dame du Bon Secours''. The chapel had become more or less derelict but was partly restored in 1992 by the Haute-Vienne general council and by the Friends of Mont Gargan. Since 1986, the chapel has been the property of the Haute-Vienne department. The main path to the summit is on the southern slope, which is covered in a small forest containing many huge and ancient beech trees. The summit was at one time covered with heather and gorse, much of which has since given way to a prairie. A rock panel has an inscription which recalls the Second World War battle of Mont Gargan fought between the German army and the maquis resistance fighters led by

Georges Guingouin Georges Guingouin (2 February 1913, Magnac-Laval in Haute-Vienne, France – 27 October 2005, Troyes, France) was a French Communist Party (PCF) militant who played a leading role in the French resistance as head of the Maquis du Limousin. He was ...

. There is also a circular look-out point which has a diagram identifying places in the surrounding countryside. The views from this point are spectacular. Contrary to what is widely stated in books and maps, Mount Gargan is not the highest point in Haute-Vienne; the forest of Crozat and the ''puy de Lauzat'', 25 kilometres to the north-east near

Nedde Nedde (; oc, Neda) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in west-central France. Inhabitants are known as ''Neddois''. See also *Communes of the Haute-Vienne department The following is a list of the 1 ...

, are higher, at 777 metres above sea level.

Gallery

Gargan juillet 1944.JPG, Stele commemorating the fighting of July 1944 in the region of Mount Gargan Paysagelimousin.JPG, View around the ''puy'', with the ''massif des Monédières'' in the centre. chapelle Mont Gargan.JPG, Mont Gargan chapel TOR Mont Gargan.JPG, Public information point on Mont Gargan {{DEFAULTSORT:Gargan Mountains of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Landforms of Haute-Vienne