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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Castrum de Neyran is a medieval village in ruins, built on a rocky spur at an altitude of 440 metres in the Hauts Cantons de l'Hérault. Occupied between the end of the 11th and the middle of the 14th century, it developed around a primitive castle (XI century), followed by Saint Peter's church (XII century) and seigneurial buildings (XIII century). Its gradual abandonment in the 14th century benefited the locality of Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare, located below. The site, used for agricultural purposes since the 15th century, illustrates a troglodytic occupation adapted to the rugged topography of the foothills of the Central Massif.

The castle, the first building mentioned in 1082, belonged to the Viscount of Narbonne until the 13th century. Typical of the strongholds of the time, it included a tower, an aula (salle seigneuriale) and domestic spaces, supplemented by a cistern. The Saint Peter church, with its 14-metre square bell tower, reflects a population growth requiring a place of worship. Its architecture, in shale and sandstone, bears witness to quality local know-how. The 13th century seigneurial buildings, eccentric to the castle, reveal an evolution towards more comfortable houses, characteristic of the Upper Languedoc.

Archaeological excavations (2006–2014) uncovered imported objects (Italian dishwashers, game remains) in the l The abandonment of the site in the 14th century gave way to agricultural terraces, partially damaging the remains. The castrum, which was listed in the Historical Monuments in 1928 for its church and then in 2025 for the entire site, benefited from restorations after the damage caused by a storm in 2005.

The toponymic evolution of the site, from Neirano (1204) to Neyran, and its comparison with Nebuzon Castle (Xth century, 2 km) underline its defensive and strategic role. Cut rock walls and semi-troglodytic dwellings show ingenious adaptation to relief. After its decline, the castrum served as a fenil and sheepfold before becoming an agricultural site, marking the transition between a military and a rural vocation. The successive protections (1928, 2025) attest to its heritage value, despite the alterations suffered over the centuries.

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