THE HAMLETS OF MENDE: BAHOURS, CHABRIT, CHABANNES, CHANTERUEJOLS, LE MAS

The five former villages that occupy the northwest of the commune boast a high-quality architectural heritage. Bahours, Chabrits, Chanteruejols, Le Mas, and Chabannes comprise a number of residences of varying sizes, the oldest of which date back to the second half of the 15th century. This is the case in Bahours, a simple linear hamlet consisting of three farmhouses with main buildings and outbuildings, and a 17th-century fortified house. Chabrits, Chanteruejols, and Le Mas are more sprawling, with narrow lanes along which the houses are arranged in rows with courtyards and gardens enclosed by stone walls. Chabannes, which underwent suburban development in the 20th century, has a center consisting of two large houses dating from the second half of the 15th to the beginning of the 16th century. It also features communal buildings: a bread oven, a wayside cross, a cattle pen, and a fountain-wash house.