SAINT-JULIEN D'ARPAON

In Saint-Julien-d’Arpaon, a village in the Cévennes overlooking the River Mimente, the imposing ruins of Montcalm Castle stand on a cliff. First mentioned in the 13th century, it belonged to the lords of Anduze, who held the barony of Florac. Demolished in 1618, whilst owned by the de Gabriac family, it passed in the 18th century to the de Montcalm family, originally from Rouergue and with estates in Gévaudan, who restored it. Subsequently abandoned, it was used as a stone quarry for the village’s houses. Its remains still reveal semicircular arches, a watchtower, a lower room with a pointed arch vault and a dovecote. A testament to the medieval past of the Mimente Valley, to be viewed with caution: risk of falling stones; do not climb on the walls.