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Origin and history

Luc Castle, located in the eponymous village of Lozère (former Gevaudan), is a feudal fortress built between the 6th and 10th centuries on a Celtic site. Dominating the valley of the Allier and the Regordan route – the major axis for the pilgrims of Saint-Gilles – it played a key military role until the 17th century. Its ruins, including a logis in opus spicatum (looking like a fish ridge), attest to its strategic importance at the border between Vivarais and Gevaudan. The site was restored since 1978 by the association Les Amis du château de Luc.

Originally owned by the lords of Luke, bound by alliances with the Barons of Randon and the house of Joyeuse, the castle then passed to the Polignacs, although some parts (tours) depended on neighbouring families such as the Agrin des Hubacs or the Bourbal de Choissinet. In 1380, during the Hundred Years' War, he resisted a siege of roadmen, the inhabitants being rescued by local gentlemen, including Béraud d'Agrain des Ubas. The wars of religion in the 16th century saw the installation of a garrison to protect the Gevaudan.

The castle was partially destroyed after 1630 by order of Richelieu, like those of Châteauneuf-de-Randon and Grèzes. In 1878 his dungeon was transformed into a chapel, topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary still visible. The ruins, a communal property, were listed as historical monuments on 10 February 1986. They include a 6th-century wall section, remains of towers, a windowless "prison", a well, and a large rectangular building locally called the "Château Church".

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