Le Caylar


Le Caylar, also known as Le-Caylar-en-Larzac, is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France, in the administrative region of Occitanie. It has the Village étape label since 2013.

Geography

Le Caylar is situated 71 km from Montpellier and 18 km from Lodève. The village is situated on the limestone karst plateau of Larzac.
The climat is very dry there, cold in winter and rather hot in summer.
The rocks consist of limestones: calcium carbonate or dolomite: double carbonate of calcium and magnesium. The first gives very lapiazed reliefs. The second is less soluble than the first, resulting in irregular reliefs.

Toponymy

Le is a french indefinite article equivalent to the in english. Caylar is an old meridional word meaning castle. Therefore, Le Caylar means The Castle.
The long form of the commune, Le-Caylar-en-Larzac, means The castle in Larzac, Larzac being the name of the plateau the commune is situated on.

History

The first traces of occupation of the site date back to the Iron Age. Carolingian houses can still be seen in the village.
The Roc Castel, which overlooks the village of Caylar, constitutes the remains of the Castellas originally built in the 12th century. The Notre-Dame du Roc Castel chapel, still housed there, also dates from the 12th century.

Population

Monuments