Le Caylar (French pronunciation: [lə kɛlaʁ]; Occitan: Lo Cailar), 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.

Le Caylar
A general view of Le Caylar
A general view of Le Caylar
Coat of arms of Le Caylar
Location of Le Caylar
Map
Le Caylar is located in France
Le Caylar
Le Caylar
Le Caylar is located in Occitanie
Le Caylar
Le Caylar
Coordinates: 43°51′50″N 3°19′11″E / 43.8639°N 3.3197°E / 43.8639; 3.3197
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentHérault
ArrondissementLodève
CantonLodève
IntercommunalityLodévois - Larzac
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean Trinquier[1]
Area
1
22.08 km2 (8.53 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
465
 • Density21/km2 (55/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
34064 /34520
Elevation714–826 m (2,343–2,710 ft)
(avg. 752 m or 2,467 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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Map

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 climate is very dry there, cold in winter and rather hot in summer.

The rocks consist of limestones: calcium carbonate (CaCO3) or dolomite: double carbonate of calcium and magnesium (CaMg (CO3)2). The first gives very lapiazed reliefs. The second is less soluble than the first, resulting in irregular reliefs.[3]

Toponymy

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Le is a French definite 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

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The first traces of occupation of the site date back to the Iron Age. Carolingian houses (before the 10th century) can still be seen in the village.

The Roc Castel, which overlooks the village of Caylar, constitutes the remains of the Castellas (castle) originally built in the 12th century. The Notre-Dame du Roc Castel chapel, still housed there, also dates from the 12th century.

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 327—    
1975 259−3.28%
1982 295+1.88%
1990 339+1.75%
1999 383+1.37%
2009 439+1.37%
2014 444+0.23%
2020 465+0.77%
Source: INSEE[4]

Monuments

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  • Notre-Dame Chapel. Wood retable from the 14th century.
  • The Sculpted Tree (Arbre sculpté in French).
  • Roc Castel. This rock dominates the village (altitude 752 meters), offering a valuable panorama on the Larzac.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Gérard Mottet, Géographie physique de la France, Presses universitaires de France, 1999, p. 223.
  4. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE