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Cevennes
Gorges du Tarn
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   causses-cevennes.com

History of Saint Germain de Calberte 

The Cevennes extend in between two enormous granitic masses which constitute the mount Lozere (1.702 m.), in the North, and the mount Aigoual (1.560 m.), in the South.
They form sinuous and parallel chains, with jagged peaks from 700 to 1.200 meters of altitude, which delimit  numerous narrow valleys in which depths flows the Gardon rivers : the Gardon of Saint-Andre, Sainte-Croix, Saint Martin, Saint-Germain and Dèze.
After their junctions they form two great rivers: the Gardon of Alès and the Gardon of Anduze. These two Gardons joining at Ribaute, give the "Gard".
These picturesque closed cevenol valleys finish abruptly. They are called "les vallees borgnes"(one-eyed valleys).
They are barred by peaks which form the watershed between the Mediterranean and the Ocean.
Because the Mediterranean slope is more steep, the destructive action of water exerts there with more force. It digs and corrodes the ground, making move back the limit of the peaks little by little, So that the Mediterranean slope ends up "collecting" the sources and brooks which, formerly, were going to be thrown to the Ocean !   
 
Among these valleys, one of the most picturesque and friendly is those of Saint-Germain-of-Calberte. It’s surrounded the enormous schistous mass of the Vieille-Morte (Old dead woman) (927 m), the acute peak of Moncamp (980 m.), the arid summit of les Mattes and the buttresses of the Montmars (1.166 m.) who are prolonged by the rocks of Galta and of Esclop. The whole valley is worn out in lamellate schists, with a silky aspect, with metal reflections, which scintillate in the sun like fragments of a mirror. They give to the landscape a characteristic aspect.

These sericitic schists contain many quartz seams, bIanc milky or rosy, which make clear spots on the brownish schistous masses whose aspect, without them, would be monotonous. Quartz is consisted silica. When it is pure, it forms the rock crystal; tinted purple, it gives amethyst; veined, it gives agate; not crystallized and interfered with impurity, it constitutes the siIex for fire.
Some of this quartz contain tiny gold spangles which can be found in sands of the Gard, but in too small quantity to allow a productive exploitation.
The undulated, circumvented, tormented layers, form at the top of the mountains gigantic scales.
They represent one of the oldest parts of the soil of France. It is the primitive core around which large plains were formed, a number incommensurable of centuries ago!

see geography

Saint-Germain-of-Calberte is located nearly at the bottom of the valley, on a broad terrace which overhangs the river. Covered with terraces and secular chestnut trees, whose clear foliage masks the houses partly, the small agglomeration gives the impression of a nest of greenery. It is this very particular aspect, which gave its name to Saint Germain, ‘’Calberte’’-meaning, in patois, sunny and green place (cala verda).

The country was initially inhabited by Gallic tribes belonging to the Volces Arécomiques, whose descendants are called still today: raïols(royals). They had like immediate neighbor theGabales (gavots).
There always was a certain opposition between these two groups of men. The first, more opened, very quickly accepted the Roman civilization and domination; the others remained a long time opposite with the foreign invaders and supported Vercingétorix and the Avernes in their fights against Julius Cesar.
The Vandals and the Visigoths invaded successively the country and devastated it. The Saracens, in their turn, seized part of the region. They were stopped by the army of Charlemagne, in a valley close to Saint-Germain.
Roland, according to the legend, would have beaten them in Moissac, prohibiting the entry of the valley to them which, since then, bears the name of "Vallee Francaise’’ (French Valley). It is in remembering this fact of weapons that they built the small church of Boissonade, out of black stones. It is transformed into temple today.

The foundation of German Saint is lost in the mists of time!
According to the tradition, the first agglomeration called Calberte, would have been built in the valley, at the foot of the Castle of Saint-Pierre.
This old burg, demolished partly for a long time, presents nothing any more but ruins.  Restored nowadays

The top of the stairs leading to the Gardon are mentioned in a legend.
A brutal and vindicatory lord, threw his unhappy lady in the river incriminating her of  infidelity. In nights of storm, with the gleam of the flashes, her silhouette appears on the top of the tower... (?)

A priory dedicated to to German Saint, has been built on the beautiful platform which dominates the valley, the inhabitants of Calberte would have come to install themselves close to the monks.

The pope Urbain V, originating. of Lozere, and which had always kept a great love for its native land, made rebuild and increase the church of Saint-Germain and equipped the growing village with a "studiurn", kind of school with boarding school, for young poor people of Lozére. They came to make studies there. Each year, they went by foot, under the direction of an ecclesiastic, to present their examinations in Avignon or Montpellier!

Saint-Germain, like all the Cevennes valleys, did suffer a lot from the passage of the English lorry drivers (with mules) who plundered the area.
In 1380, the constable Du Guesclin delivered finally the country, while seizing Châteauneuf-de-Randon, a real eagles eyrie, which had become their ultimate fortress.

The reform was brought in the area by a modest anonymous hawker, a former bookseller in Geneva.
Saint-Germain and his surroundings embraced the new faith with enthusiasm.

The inhabitants provided soldiers to Coligny and, later, they fought against the army of "the League". In spite of the persecutions and the disorders, they remained attached to the cause of the King like all the most inhabitants of the Cevennes. Their loyalty made them call "the royal ones" (in patois, raïols), name which remained synonymous in the Cevennes.
With the edict of Nantes, in 1598, the calm and prosperity returned in the region Unfortunately, this state of affair did not last a long time.
The king Louis XIV, badly advised, forgetting those whom had helped him to strengthen his crown, revoked the edict of Nantes on October 18, 1685.
Some abjured and some fortunate families left the country and emigrated abroad. Others, not to abjure their faith, hid in the wood or at remote places.
The marquis de Saillans, a few years after the Revocation, lived several months in a small cave dug in the rocks, at the top of the castle, of Saint-Pierre. One day, smoke coming out his cave made discover his retirement and he was captured.

The king installed dragons, "booted soldiers", with those who wanted to resist. These soldiers, foreign mercenaries for the majority, practised all kinds of vexations. Their brutality remained proverbial in the Cevennes where they still have the terrifying memory of the "dragonnades".
For better supervising the remainder valley, detachments were confined in Saint-Etienne-Vallée-Française and in les Ayres.
Saint-Germain becomes the center of activity of the too famous abbot of ChayIa, inspector of the missions in the Cevennes, archpriest of the parish; he works there with a fanatic zeal "to extirpate the heresy".

In spite of its monitoring, religious assemblies take place by night. Two of them were marked by dramatic incidents.
The first met in a stable (jasse) just beneath the top of the rocks of Galta. The floor of the first stage broke down on the assistants.
The second met  in Claouzélet, near a deep canyon int the Gardon. It was discovered by the dragons which, in the night, sabred crowd. Several in panic, wanted to cross the river, but were drowned and carried away by the current, which a recent rising had made very fast.
The pastors Manoel, Vivent and Corteiz sometimes comforted these poor people. When persecution was slackened, the assemblies were held in the canyon of Elzière-Escure, at the foot of Moncamp.
A little higher, is, under a escarped rock, the double "Cave of Camisards", where the clergymen were going to hide and rest.

In 1825 by a movement of religious enthusiasm, the temple was rebuilt.
Everybody  came at work and brought, according to his possibilities, stones, wood and construction materials.g

LE CADRE DU CAMP, Dr. L PERRIER
Societe Cevenenole de Pedagogie, 1928 Montpellier
Imprimerie Causse, Graille et Castelnau, 7. rue Dom-Vaissette

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