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Origin and history

The Navacelles circus is a rare geological phenomenon formed by a cross-cut meander of the Vis River, located between the Larzac causse (Herault) and the Blandas causse (Gard). Ranked since 1943, its current perimeter was defined in 1983. This site, shaped about 6,000 years ago by accumulation and subsequent erosion of tuffs, is marked by a waterfall and a hamlet shared between two departments. Its spectacular landscape, between limestone cliffs and Mediterranean vegetation, makes it an emblematic place of the Southern Central Massif.

The human history of Navacelles dates back to at least the tenth century, as evidenced by a charter of the cartular of Gellone evoking "Novacella". The monks of the Abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, active in the area, cleared the land and built agricultural terraces. The site was a monastic domain before going under lay control from the 15th century. In the 16th century, a stone bridge was built on the Vis (1595), and the present church dates back to 1875. The hamlet, organized in five districts, once had mills, artisans and trufflers.

The circus is also a high biodiversity site, home to 25 species of protected birds (including the royal eagle and the vulture monk) and 20 species of mammals or rare fish. Ranked in ZNIEFF and Natura 2000, he won the label "Grand Site de France" in 2016 after decades of environmental management. Today, tourism and hiking (GR 7, chemin de Saint-Guilhem) animate the site, while viewpoints regulate visitor flows to preserve its fragile ecosystem.

The geological formation of the circus results from Jurassic marine deposits (-190 to -150 million years), fractured by tectonic movements at the Neogene. The meander was intersected 6,000 years ago, partly because of human activity: deforestation and agriculture increased runoff, eroding the tuffs that once blocked the Vis. This process, similar to that observed at Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, has permanently frozen the current morphology of the site.

The surrounding caves, such as Roc-du-Midi, are home to prehistoric remains (Neolithic, Bronze Age, Gallo-Roman era). The paths carved in cliffs and rock shelters bear witness to an ancient occupation. The region, marked by transhumance and secondary Roman roads, was also a refuge for the Camisards during the Wars of Religion. The name "Navacelles" (formerly "Novacella") evokes its monastic past, linked to the Abbey of Gellone.

Today, the circus combines preservation and tourist activities. In 2017, he hosted a world slackline record (1,680 m above the void). Local communities, via the Syndicat Mixte du Grand Site, manage the flows to limit the ecological impact. The inhabitants, nicknamed "Lous gulars" ("les guerards") for their voices above the waterfall, perpetuate a rural life adapted to this exceptional site, between historical memory and contemporary challenges.

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