La Roque-Sainte-Marguerite
Encyclopedia
La Roque Ste Marguerite is a commune
in the Aveyron
department in southern France
.
Lying deep in the scenic Dourbie
gorge, the commune absorbed the formerly separate commune of St Verin in 1940, and it also incorporates the village of Pierrefiche du Larzac
, which lies much higher on the Causse du Larzac (Larzac Plateau
), at about 670 metres above sea level
.
The village lies about 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Millau
. The main industry for the residents who still work locally is tourism: the most visited site in Aveyron for tourists, Le Chaos de Montpellier-le-Vieux
, is within its bounds. But most working residents commute into Millau.
On the Causse du Larzac, the villagers of Pierrefiche were shepherds, bringing their ewes' milk to the village
dairy
to make cheese for the world famous Roquefort. Until recently there were two flocks of 50 & 200 ewes. The droughts of 2004 have reduced this to one. The sheepskin
& fleeces went to Millau for the world leading glove
industry.
The castle
was the western defence of the formerly heavily guarded Dourbie valley, which was a rich agricultural area in the Middle Ages
. Old vine terraces can still be seen lining the deep chasm cut by the river through the Causse plateaux, some 300m deep.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Aveyron
Aveyron
Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.- History :Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790....
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Lying deep in the scenic Dourbie
Dourbie
Dourbie is also a tributary of the Hérault river-----The Dourbie is a 72 km long river in southern France, left tributary of the Tarn River. Its source is north of Le Vigan, in the Cévennes...
gorge, the commune absorbed the formerly separate commune of St Verin in 1940, and it also incorporates the village of Pierrefiche du Larzac
Larzac
The Causse du Larzac is a limestone karst plateau in the south of the Massif Central, France, situated between Millau and Lodève...
, which lies much higher on the Causse du Larzac (Larzac Plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
), at about 670 metres above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
The village lies about 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Millau
Millau
Millau is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is located at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers.-History:...
. The main industry for the residents who still work locally is tourism: the most visited site in Aveyron for tourists, Le Chaos de Montpellier-le-Vieux
Chaos de Montpellier-le-Vieux
The Chaos de Montpellier-le-Vieux is a blockfield at the southern edge of the Causse Noir, above the Gorges de la Dourbie, north-east of Millau and its famous viaduct, in the commune of La Roque-Sainte-Marguerite, Aveyron, France....
, is within its bounds. But most working residents commute into Millau.
On the Causse du Larzac, the villagers of Pierrefiche were shepherds, bringing their ewes' milk to the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
to make cheese for the world famous Roquefort. Until recently there were two flocks of 50 & 200 ewes. The droughts of 2004 have reduced this to one. The sheepskin
Sheepskin
Sheepskin is the hide of a sheep, sometimes also called lambskin or lambswool.Sheepskin may also refer to:* Parchment, a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin** Diploma, originally made of sheepskin...
& fleeces went to Millau for the world leading glove
Glove
A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual openings for each...
industry.
The castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
was the western defence of the formerly heavily guarded Dourbie valley, which was a rich agricultural area in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Old vine terraces can still be seen lining the deep chasm cut by the river through the Causse plateaux, some 300m deep.