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Origin and history

The deserted medieval village of Montchauvet, located on the eastern side of Mont Chauvet (1,485 m) in the commune of Saugues (Haute-Loire), was rediscovered in 1965. The excavations, carried out from 1966 to 1991 by Brother Joseph Fabre and in 1994 by José Raymond and Christian Sermet, revealed structures dated from the 10th to the 15th century, as well as neolithic traces (arrow points). The site includes castral constructions, defensive ditches, long houses and agricultural terraces, reflecting an organized occupation on the slopes overlooking the Pontajou Valley.

The family of Montchauvet, attested to in the 14th century, is linked to Guillaume de Montchauvet, bailli de Saugues for the lord of Mercœur. In 1336–37 he was involved in legal proceedings before the Gevaudan Court. Married to Delphine de Giberges, whose three parents were clerics at Saint-Médard de Saugues in 1311, he left two daughters: Cécile (wife of Armand de La Fagette) and Agnes (wife of Jean de Chastel). When they died in 1345 and 1348, Jean de Chastel inherited the castles of Servières and Montchauvet, as well as seigneurial rights.

The decline of Montchauvet began in favour of Servières, which became the main habitat of the Pontajou valley. The Chastel family kept these lands for four centuries. The site, registered with the Historical Monuments in 1989, was the subject of a permanent exhibition (1998–2013) on the farm of Montchauvet, before the transfer of collections in 2015. Today, the village, located on private land, is visited under conditions to preserve this archaeological heritage.

Research has revealed a terraced village with defensive developments (reparts, ditches) and typical habitats of the Middle Ages. Exhumed furniture, mostly medieval, includes everyday objects. A technical inventory (2016–2017) completed the studies conducted under the direction of Jean-Michel Poisson. The site illustrates the evolution of a medieval rural habitat, marked by the gradual abandonment to Servières.

The regional historical context is marked by the seigneurial tensions of Gevaudan, as evidenced by the trial of Guillaume de Montchauvet. The Pontajou Valley, on the border of Auvergne and Gevaudan, was a space of passage and exchange, where noble families like Chastel played a central role for centuries. The abandonment of Montchauvet reflects the territorial and economic recompositions of the late Middle Ages.

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