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Origin and history

The farm of the Chaze is a rural building located in the hamlet of the same name, on the municipality of the Laubies, in Lozère (region Occitanie). It is distinguished by its carved portal, a remarkable architectural element dating back to the early 16th century. The lintel bears the date of 1503, framed by owners' initials, while the leggings have carved male and female heads, accompanied by an animal head (dog or wolf). An interrupted pediment, surmounted by a cross decorated with animal motifs, dominates the whole. According to tradition, this portal would come from a nearby seigneurial residence and would have been moved in the 18th century.

The portal has been partially listed as historic monuments since 28 December 1978, recognizing its heritage value. The sculptures, including family weapons and symbolic elements such as the central heart, reflect the crafts and social codes of the time. Another hypothesis evokes the ancient existence of a hunting appointment at this site, whose door would be a vestige. The precise location, although documented, remains approximate according to available sources.

The Labies, like other villages in Lozérie, were at that time marked by a rural economy and a social organization centred around local lords and peasant communities. Farms, often fortified or decorated, played a key role in agricultural production and in asserting the social status of owners. This portal, with its carved details, illustrates this duality between practical function and symbol of prestige, typical of the noble rural constructions of the early Renaissance in Gevaudan.

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