Decazeville
The Vía Podiensis
Decazeville sits at 207 m in a valley that was once one of France's major coal-producing centers. It's a functional town rather than a pretty one, but it has all the services you might need: a supermarket, pharmacy, post office, and several accommodation options including the gite d'etape Les Volets Bleus, which has English-speaking hosts and sits right on the GR65.
If you stop for only one thing, make it the church. The Eglise Notre-Dame houses 14 Stations of the Cross painted by Gustave Moreau in 1863, the only Symbolist Stations of the Cross in the world. Moreau painted them anonymously during a period when he was deeply influenced by Italian Renaissance color. Each canvas was completed in just three or four days, with sparse, minimal compositions showing only the essential figures. The paintings hung forgotten for a century until Gilbert Bou rediscovered them in 1964. They were classified as a Historical Monument the following year. Marcel Proust mentioned them in his novel Jean Santeuil.
A ridge path option allows you to bypass Decazeville entirely, saving about a kilometer. But you'd miss the Moreau paintings, and those are worth the detour.
The town takes its name from Duke Elie Decazes, president of ministers under Louis XVIII. The original village was called La Salle, and coal had been mined here since the 16th century. In 1826, Decazes partnered with engineer Cabrol to found the Houilleres et Fonderies de l'Aveyron, and the town grew rapidly around mine shafts and factories. By 1834 it had a population of 2,715 and was established as its own commune. Under Napoleon III, it was officially named Decazeville.
At its peak in the early 1900s, over 9,000 workers were employed in coal, steel, zinc, glass, and brick production. La Decouverte, France's largest open-cast coal mine, operated from 1892 to 2001. The pit was 3.7 km long and 2.5 km wide. It's been rehabilitated as a public site with walking trails and heritage signage tracing the history of the mining era.
From the descent into Decazeville, the route crosses the valley floor and begins a steep, dry climb to the Chapelle Saint-Roch at 346 m. From there it's a rolling descent to Livinhac-le-Haut on the Lot river.
Accommodation in Decazeville.
| Gîte d´étape Les Volets Bleus 14-17€ 18 |
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