Sitting on the naughty step in La Couvertoirade?
A surprise visit to La Couvertoirade
After our Workaway host picked us up from the bus station at Montpellier to take us to her 18th Century Mill, we stopped over at the deserted village of La Couvertoirade located on the Larzac plateau between Millau and Lodève.
We thought we were being ferried directly to the Mill, so it was a lovely surprise to visit this fortress dating back to the middle ages, especially after our disappointing trip to Carcassonne.
History of La Couvertoirade
The Century the Knights Templar built this fortified castle, and it was the only one they built during the 13th Century. It was later taken over by the Order of St. John.
Today this village is inhabited by enamel, pottery, weaving, and other local craft’s people. But at we visited in January (and their peak season in April to October), the only sign of life was one of the gîte owners darting through her front door.
Oh, and a cat…
A Private Tour of La Couvertoirade
During the summer you can pay to walk around the ramparts and take in the view of the surrounding plateau, but there was nobody manning the tourist kiosk, and the entrance to the ramparts was locked up tight.
One of the most intriguing sights was the roofline. They’ve obviously been renovated over the years so it’s difficult to pin down the age of each roof top, but I loved the mixture of muted reds and gray tiles and how they sagged and settled on their supporting walls.
It was a mystical experience to wander around this deserted village and imagine how previous residents had lived. The architecture was weathered, and the freezing cold temperature and grey day added to the atmosphere.
I’m sure this village and castle has a completely different feel mid-summer, but offseason it’s still appealing, and it was a bonus that we had it to ourselves.
Information about La Couvertoirade Tours
- Between June and September you can pay for a one hour VIP Tour, 8 people maximum per tour and tickets are 10€, which includes private tours of the non public areas, including the templar cistern and the ramparts.
- You can also pay 5€ to get access to the Knight Templars exhibition during specific times during the day. Closed on Mondays. If you opt for the VIP Tour, it includes entrance to the exhibition.
Who were the Templars?
The Order of the Temple was a religious and military order from the Christian chivalry of the Middle Ages founded by a knight from the region of Champagne in France. It was set up to protect pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, and fight the infidels during the crusades. It was established in the 10th Century, and the only authority they recognized was that of the Pope. It finally came to an end when Kind Philip IV of France objected to their autonomy and he did a deal with Pope Clement to suppress the Order, which was dissolved in 1312.
Who were the Order of St. John?
Their full name was The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem was a Catholic military order established in the 11th Century in Jerusalem. When they were run out of that city, they spread across Europe with the same role as the Templars, to help pilgrims reach the Holy Land.
Getting to La Couvertoirade
It’s only a 5km drive from the main A75 to get to La Couvertoirade.
Read about our 2020 Workaway and Travel Adventures:
- French Train Strikes won’t stop us in our tracks
- Toodling around Toulouse
- Exploring the Castle at La Couvertoirade
- Meandering around Montpellier
- Our Workaway at an 18th Century Flour Mill
- Chilling in Clermont Ferrand
- Our Workaway at an 18th Century Chateau
- Lingering in Lyon’s 1st Arrondissement
- Our Self-Guided Walking Tour of Lyon
- Making the most of Montparnasse Paris
- Our Workaway at a La Rochelle BnB
- Our Workaway at Ile D’Aix
- Video: Our Workaway adventure through France
- Our Memorable Food and Wine Adventures in France
- …. the rest of our trip TBD because of the virus – but planning Bordeaux, Lille, Bruges, Antwerp, and Amsterdam
Woop woop, I just love Order of St. John! 😀
One week each year there is a festival on an island called Visby, just outside Stockholm Sweden, where we always go on a medieval-week and dress up as the order of St John 🙂 I love my nuns outfit!
If you ever get a chance, you should visit the festival – its amazing!
Ann recently posted..Greek dinner
The order of St. John got everywhere… we have a Castle of St. John in Bodrum near our Turkey home, which has been completely renovated. But they don’t do a medieval dress up event!
We have seen them all over Europe, thats one of the first things I google when I have booked a trip! I have seen a monestary in Rhodes, and the entire old town is filled with their history 🙂 We’ve seen Knights square in Pisa as well, that was pure magic!
Theres an medevial event in Treviso, close to Venice, thats suppose to me supercool!
I’ve only been to Rhodes once, but we spent our entire day trip wandering around the old town area … it was a little bit too busy and touristy for me, but I loved the narrow cobbled streets and architecture.
Roving Jay recently posted..Our self-guided Walking Tour of Lyon
I was there an early morning, with almost no people at all – that was lovely! 🙂
This place looks like a film set it is so medieval and empty! It must have been quite magical to be able to wander the streets without the crowds that descend upon it in high season. Such an interesting history of it being built by the Knights Templar.
Now that you mention it, it was exactly like a film set!
Love medieval castles and old ruins – so much history and much more on the way of life once would have been. I like the history behind the Order of St John – much to explore! The roof line of the village is so pretty and speaks of admirable skills of the builders. The empty streets to wander seems so interesting that I will be lost for hours exploring it. Thank you for sharing this hidden gem.
I loved the roof line and wish I was a good enough artist to be able to capture it’s beauty with a sketch.
I’ve always been fascinated by castles, and areas like the La Couvertoirade roof line (photo you took near the church). I have never visited Europe, so I’ve never had the opportunity to explore castles built that long ago. We have them in the States but they are not even comparable to this one. Ours just look like giant houses/mansions. Not the historic “robinhood like” kind with a kingdom. Wonderful photos, I’m going to remember this when I make it to Europe one day 🙂
What I love about towns and castles like these is that they trigger your imagination. I immediately starting thinking about previous generations living there and what their lives must have been like.
Roving Jay recently posted..Our Workaway at an 18th Century Flour Mill France
I absolutely love places like this! It’s so beautiful and old! You said that you were working with ‘Workaway’, have you done a post on what it is like as I am considering doing so as well?
Hi Lydia .. we did workaway in Cambodia and France … copy and past this link and you’ll see our posts about it. https://www.rovingjay.com/tag/workaway/
What an inspirational post! Thanks for all the rich historical information and for the stunning images. I’m just curious, what is the “naughty step?” Thanks very much for taking us with you on this tour of the Ancient Castle of La Couvertoirade.
It’s where you have a time out when you’re naughty! 😉
I love visiting medieval castles with history behind them. You are lucky to visit this castle when you were the only visitor. The pictures of the empty streets and the entrance gate are very well composed! It sure must have been a mystical experience to wander through the deserted streets and imagine how people lived there in the past. Thanks for this lovely blog! 🙂
Jan recently posted..Eidfjord – The perfect base in Central Norway
Nobody else was crazy enough to visit when it was quite so cold!
How exciting! I have only been to one Knights Templar and it was in Portugal, I need to add this to my list. I love these hidden gems….and it doesnt seem that far from Montpellier!
Not not far .. and Montpellier is a fabulous city to visit too. We had a weekend there, and really enjoyed the old town area. https://www.rovingjay.com/montpellier-france/
What a cool castle to explore! I didn’t know much about this place prior to reading your post. I would love to check it out some day preferably when the weather is warm though!
WanderlustBeautyDreams recently posted..EVEN New York Hotel- Midtown East
From what we saw, France is peppered with these castles, and I can’t want to explore more of them.
France is full of medieval castles, full of interesting stories, but I was not aware of that one. I will make sure I visit it next time I go there. Thanks for sharing!
It’s so great that so many of these buildings have been preserved, France has a rich medieval history.
It is a beautiful and romantic village with impressive towers. When we visited last May, we went to a Falconry demonstration which was fun for the kids, then we went to the castle. This place takes you back in time and history just like you described it.
Yes it’s easy to walk along these cobbled streets and be taken back in time.
Your pictures are like a time capsule – stepping back in history. It looks like it would be great just to walk around without a destination in mind! Beautiful.
It’s only a small village so it didn’t take long to explore.
Wow such a fascinating place. I have never heard of this place and happy that I came across your site. Would love to visit this place one day; definitely it’s my kind of travel destination.
It was a lovely bonus place to explore, that hadn’t been on our agenda. I was so glad that we got a chance to stop and explore.
Roving Jay recently posted..Exploring the Ancient Castle of La Couvertoirade
I had no idea about the existence of this place. La Couvertoirade seems very interesting. These stone houses and streets are lovely, like from fairy tale. Good to know that you can take a private tour to admire this 13th-century architecture.
Yes I wish the private tour had been available so we could have explored the ramparts … just means we’ll have to go back another time when we’re in the area.
What a stunning skyline. Its like being transported back to different times, almost like we have gone in a time machine
It’s so good that places like Couvertoirade have been preserved.
What a gorgeous town! I love places like this and how cool you got to explore without the crowds.
Yes, and there’s so many others just like this all across France.
Very efficiently written information. It will be beneficial to anybody who utilizes it, including me. Keep up the good work. For sure i will check out more posts. This site seems to get a good amount of visitors.