A maar-type volcano, the artificial lake is partly nestled in a vast explosion crater, the edges of which can be guessed. The sap of Lestrat dominates the lake, a remnant of an old lava needle partly destroyed by the setting up of the crater.
Vestige of the XNUMXth century Cistercian abbey (Romanesque cloister, abbey church, lay brothers' buildings, square tower, refectory... in a bucolic setting). Neo-Romanesque church with superb contemporary stained glass windows by Louis-René Petit.
Mazan l'Abbaye is a pretty little village in the Ardèche Mountains well known for its abbey and its huge national forest.
A Pelean volcano is of the extrusive type, that is to say that it involves a viscous magma, not very rich in gas, building domes. Depending on the viscosity of the lava, the domes can be built according to several shapes.
Take a break in the heart of the village! Service area with terminal close to the multi-service grocery store and the baker. At the exit of the village: possibility of parking overnight. Payment with a coin mechanism.
Through this thematic circuit, we invite you to discover and observe the architectural heritage of the village, such as the traditional constructions in volcanic rock, which testify to the geology of the place.
The "authentic source" symbolizes, by the monument erected in 1938 by the Touring Club of France, the source of the Loire. Nearby, a triptych of information on the Gerbier-de-Jonc platform and the Maison de site.
It flows in a stone trough inside an old renovated farmhouse with a Lauze roof. It is possible to drink water directly from the source.
XNUMXth century church, remodeled, rebuilt in the XNUMXth century. Architecture to discover: checkerboard in volcanic rocks and polychrome facade: yellow tuff, granite, trachyte and red scoria. Statue of the Black Virgin of Genestoux, placed above the central altar.
Church founded in the XNUMXth century by J. Cazalet, a native of the country who became abbot of Sénanque, in Vaucluse. Heavily remodeled in the XNUMXth century, it has superb modern stained glass windows, a magnificent statue of the Virgin as well as a XNUMXth century bell.
