Leaving the plain of Minervois and going up towards Haut Languedoc, you reach Minerve, a medieval city classified among the most beautiful villages in France, perched on its rocky outcrop. Around, extend the gorges of the Cesse, with their spectacular natural bridges, and those of Brian. The whole is classified Grand Site de France.
La Cité de Minerve, one of the “most beautiful villages in France.
Between Cévennes and Montagne Noire, the city of Minerve rises on a rocky outcrop which dominates the gorges of the Cesse. The natural bridges of the Cesse gorges make it an exceptional geological site. Carrying the imprint of prehistoric hunter-gatherers, Minerva is known for the siege it suffered in 1210 during the painful Crusade against the Cathars.
The ascent to the village will lead you to the Dove of light of the artist Jean-Luc Severac, carved in memory of the tragic pyre of 1210, near the XNUMXth century Church of Saint-Etienne.
This story is to be discovered in the City museums and the Tourist Office.
Historical capital of Minervois, it is now one of the prestigious gates of Haut-Languedoc Regional Natural Park and figure among the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”. The village and its surroundings form an exceptional group, classified Great sites of France as the "City of Minerve, Gorges de la Cesse and Brian".
The gorges of the Cesse
The Gorges de la Cesse, du Brian and causses are part of the remarkable landscapes of the Minervois. This limestone plateau and the gorges were shaped by water, which produced this typical karstic relief composed of caves, faults, joints in which water infiltrates and circulates underground. The Cesse also abandons its aerial course in fine weather! The Natural bridges of Minerve can be discovered on foot. It is accessed by different paths that start from the village to descend to the bottom of the gorges.
For discover the surroundings of the city, the ideal is to embark on the hiking route marked in yellow (medium difficulty with a distance of 9 km and 456 meters of vertical drop).
