"La Couvertoirade" a La Couvertoirade Travel Page by JLBG

La Couvertoirade is a place that was first fortified by the Templars order. Later, the king of France gave the stronghold to the Hospitallers order. A village began to build around the stronghold and city walls were built around the village for defense purpose. All this remains, in very good condition and can be visited.

Here is what the leaflet written by the ''Conservatoire Larzac Templier et Hospitalier'' writes :

Mediaeval village, reflecting Templars military power and Hospitalier daily life.
La Couvertoirade, visited over numerous decades, always gives way to surprise at the sight of its enceinte's intact tower looming up out of rocky chaos. Inside, there is to be found a disorder of streets, covered passages, small and slightly larger houses dating from the XVth to XIXth centuries with hotels from the XVIIth century. Due to its outstanding state of preservation, La Couvertoirade represents a real ''miniatures'' mediaeval village and the visitor will always be surprised, whatever his expectations, by these architectural and urban treasures found within.

Over here on the outside, is to be found one of the most beautiful ''lavognes'' (watering places), an authantic Templar castle situated next to the walled cemetery, the church being built by the Hospitaliers in the XIVth century; over there, steep staircases cut out of solid rock; down below, the communal oven and the enormous public water tank supplied with rain from the church roofs.