| The Couvertoirade ((oc)La Cobertoirada) | |
 | |
| Panoramic view from Redounel | |
| Information | |
| Country |  France |
|---|---|
| Region | Aveyron |
| Altitude | Between 640 and900 m |
| Area | 6 191 km² |
| Population | 175 hab. (2010) |
| Density | 0,03 inhab./km² |
| Nice | Lacuperturadais |
| Postal code | 12230 |
| Telephone prefix | 33 5 65 |
| Spindle | UTC 01:00, UTC 02:00 |
| Location | |
 43 ° 55 ′ 41 ″ N 3 ° 17 ′ 23 ″ E | |
| Official site | |
| Touristic site | |
The Couvertoirade is a municipality ofAveyron In the region Midi-Pyrenees in France.
Understand
La Couvertoirade is a city that was built around a commandery of Templars.
At XIVe century, at the end of the Hundred Years War, the inhabitants had it fortified to protect themselves from the bands of truckers who pillaged Larzac. From the XIXe century, the rural exodus protected it from an anarchic urbanization. Become a kind of museum, the city is inscribed on the list ofassociation of the most beautiful villages in France.
Tourist information
- La Couvertoirade Tourism and Heritage Department Right Street (in the town hall),
33 5 65 585559, email: [email protected] 
of at : Mon.- Sun. : 10 h - 12 h and14 h - 18 h. – 
of at : Mon.- Sun. : 
To go
La Couvertoirade is located on the upper plateau of Larzac, by car it can be accessed by the Méridienne, motorway, etc. A750/ E11, which connects Montpellier at Clermont-Ferrand, by the exits
- n ° 49: Le Caylar, La Couvertoirade,
- n ° 48: Alzon, La Couvertoirade,
- n ° 47: La Cavalerie, Nant, La Couvertoirade.
La Couvertoirade is a protected village. The parking is outside and paid.
See
- 1 Visit map of the Larzac Templier Causses et Vallées tourist office. , 33 5 65 58 55 59, fax : 33 5 65 62 28 06, email: [email protected]
2 €. – Obtain a map from the Larzac Templier Causses et Vallées tourist office which is located on the ground floor of the hotel de la Scipione, to the left of portal of Amoun, which gives tour routes with points of interest.
The fortifications and the castle
The two city gates, as well as the curtain walls that connect the support towers are classified as a Historic Monument (PA00094009).
- 2 The tower and Portal d'Amoun – City gate, to the north. Once through the door, in a niche, a statue of Sant Crìstol, protector of travelers.
- 3 The walls (Guided tours at the tourist office). 6 €. – Except to the east of the enclosure, the curtain walls connecting the supporting towers are crowned by a walkway which provides a global view of the town.
- 4 The Barbican – Advanced defense of the door of the Templar castle. Gives access to the church Sant Cristol and the replica of the old cemetery.
- 5 The Templar Castle – The keep and the remains of the former castle of a Templar commandery, passed to the order of Hospitallers. More or less abandoned, the keep and the remains of the castle, in poor condition, are classified MH (PA00094005).
- 6 The Aval Tower – City gate, to the south.
The big one labagna it is located at 100 m, on the left, on leaving.
In the walls
- 7 The Hotel de la Scipione – The Hotel de la Scipione is in Renaissance style. The tower is flanked by a bull's eye bearing the date 1609.
- 8 The Hotel de Grailhe (North) – Inscribed MH (PA00094007) for its door surmounted by an emblazoned cartouche. Private property, the hotel cannot be visited.
- 9 The common oven – The original oven is a simple crevice in the rock, which was heated with bundles before baking the loaves in it. With the establishment of the commandery, a banal oven was built and recently restored.
- 10 Sant Cristòl church – The church Sant Cristòl, from the end of XIVe century, is integrated into the system of fortifications. It was undoubtedly built with elements of the poultry yard of the Templar castle to replace the original church, the XIe century, the ruins of which can be found outside the walls, in a valley beyond the puèch del Redounel, instead of Sant Cristòl. On the facade we can see two re-uses adorned with fantastic masks. To the left of the entrance gate has been moved a prayer plaque, in rouergat, coming from the entrance to the cemetery. Inside, the baptismal font, in its original location, uses a primitive tank carved out of a block of stone. At XIXe century, added a cylindrical cabinet in walnut. To the right of the altar, the facade of an ancient reliquary. The chapel of the Rosary has housed since the XVIIIe century, the confessional. (Note that the monument to the dead in the town is to the left of the altar devoted to Mary).
- 11 The replica of the old cemetery – For reasons of economy, the old cemetery was cut in two during the construction of the East curtain. Disused, there are replicas of discoid tombs from the early Middle Ages which were the subject of a study displayed at the back of the church.
- 12 The old rectory – The old presbytery of XIIe century, classified MH (PA00094008), has been transformed into a communal dwelling whose dormitories can accommodate hikers who take the various variants of the GR 71 long-distance footpath which crosses the country.
The water.
If it rains heavily on the Larzac, the plateau formed of permeable cacaire does not retain the water which circulates rapidly towards the depths. At the foot of the plateau, this water feeds major resurgences such as at Fondamente or at the source of Durzon.
- 13 Water donation – After the construction of the enclosure, charity ordered that a little water be given to travelers who ventured on the Causses du Larzac. A bow-maker pierced in the wall made it possible to hear the requests, and the water was given by an inverted lause placed next to it.
- 14 Water collection – The town plan is roughly that of a circulated which is organized towards the small square instead of developing in the shelter of the castle. Bordered by houses without gutters, all the streets are paved with caladas provided with a channel. These drains drained the rainwater up to a labagna (watertight and stony pond-reserve) located in the center of the village, flowing if necessary into spaces provided for this purpose.
- 15 The Plot – The still water of the labagna was easily soiled. Suspected of promoting the spread of plague epidemics that ravaged Bas-Languedoc in XVIIe century, it was filled to give the current Placette.
- 16 La Lavogne – The capture system has been extended under the Aval portal. The channel runs for about fifty meters to a settling basin, on the edge of a large labagna almond-shaped, the largest in Larzac.
Make
- 1 The Moulin du Redounel – The walk to the mill Redounel, 600 m approximately, offers beautiful views of the village and gives the opportunity to admire a beautiful panorama of this part of the plateau. This spectacular windmill, from XVIIe century, is partly restored. It only lacks the drive mechanism and the set of grain grinders for which a subscription is open.
Buy
In addition to the usual souvenirs and postcards, several shops selling retailers offer
foodstuffs : – honey, sheep cheeses (industrial Roquefort but also dairy, Pérails) Coteaux de Millau (PDO) wines, Terrasses de l'Escalette, canned cold meats, etc ...
- Crafts – leather objects, shepherd-type satchels in particular, blown glass (near the Portal d'Aval)
Eat
- Fast food on site From 9 to 28 €.
- Restaurants in Caylar, Nant, or Saint Jean du Bruel – We can eat steak and fries, salads or a few cured meats, aligot (dish of the worker on the Aubrac plateau), tripous (northern Aveyron), goat's milk cheeses or sheep (south of Aveyron if they are local). The Papillon family restaurant provides traditional and authentic cuisine with, for example, the usual tripous-trenèls, vegetables from the family garden, etc ...
Have a drink / Go out
Several shops sell drinks and ice cream
Housing
- 1 Communal housing – Hosted in the buildings of the former presbytery, the communal lodge offers dormitories for hikers who circulate on the various GR 71 service paths. Information at the O.T.
Communicate
There is no longer a post office in La Couvertoirade. The closest are at The Caylar (5.5 km) and to Nant (7.9 km).
Manage the day-to-day
Administration
- 1 Town hall Right Street, 33 5 65 585555 Mon.- Mar. : 9 h 30 - 12 h 30, Game.- Fri. : 9 h 30 - 12 h 30. –
Around
The circuit of the Templar commanderies:
- Sainte Eulalie de Cernon,
- Viala du Pas de Jaux,
- Panoramas of the Cross of Grépougnac,
- Saint John of Alcas,
- Roquefort sur Alzon.
Destinations bordering La Couvertoirade in Wikivoyage
