Faugères (;

Languedocien Languedocien (French name, ), Languedocian, or Lengadocian () is an Occitan language, Occitan dialect spoken in rural parts of southern France such as Languedoc, Rouergue, Quercy, Agenais and southern Périgord. It is sometimes also called Lang ...

: ''Faugièiras'') is a commune in the

Hérault Hérault (; , ) is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault (river), Hérault River, its Prefectures in France, prefecture is M ...

department in southern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Faugères is known for its wine,

Faugères AOC Faugères (; also known as Coteaux-du-Languedoc Faugères) is an ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region in France and is named after the town of Faugères, Hérault, Faugères, which lies 30 km nort ...

. Faugères is also known for the old windmills that overlook the village from a nearby hill to the north. One of the windmills has now been restored using ancient techniques and may be seen in operation between June and September.

History

The

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

of Faugères dates back to at least 1030AD, but it was heavily damaged during the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent ...

and today only small sections of the keep, the watch tower and castle wall remain. Four Protestant churches have existed in Faugères over time and two remain today. The most recently built church dates from 1837 and was built with stones taken from the old castle ruins. In the hills around Faugères are many ''capitelles'', round dry-stone shelters with vaulted roofs, built to protect shepherds and farmers from the elements. These are many centuries old.

History

Population

Personalities

See also

References