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Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of La Garde, also known as La Roche Castle, is a ruined medieval fortress located in the municipality of Albaret-Sainte-Marie, in the north of the Lozère. Built probably at the end of the 14th century, it belonged to the Barony of Achchier, one of the eight historical baronies of Gevaudan. Its location overlooking the Truyère River made it a key monitoring station, facing the baronies adjacent to Mercœur and Auvergne.

The first function of the castle was to protect the castle of Apcher, located further south. Its architecture is distinguished by a wall-shield in humpstone, thick of 2.40 meters, a rare feature for the era, since it was not preceded by any defensive ditch. Today, the remains are difficult to access, testifying to its gradual abandonment after losing its strategic role.

The historical sources on this castle remain limited, but a local study published in 1994 by Claude and Sébastien Jamois offers a detailed description. The monument illustrates the feudal organization of the Gevaudan, where the barons controlled fragmented territories, often in rivalry. Its decline reflects the political and military transformations of the late Middle Ages, marked by the centralization of royal power and the obsolescence of small fortresses.

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