Visitez Moyrazès
Located at 700 meters of altitude on the heights of the Segala plateau, the village is a commune rich in history.
A site prized for a long time...
The discovery of two polished flint axes in the vicinity of Moyrazès testifies with certainty to the probable residence of a certain population in the Neolithic period (5000 to 3000 BC) or in the period closer to the Bronze Age (1800 to 1100 BC).
Several testimonies of the Gallo-Roman period have also been found: the remains of two Roman roads, the creation of farms or "villas". One of the two roads links Rodez to Bordeaux via Cahors, the other also crosses the Segala from east to west, also linking Rodez and Villefranche, but passing further south, via Rieupeyroux. Sections still paved and vertical stones testify to this in some places.
Moreover, the origin of its name, like that of some of the hamlets of the commune, is undoubtedly Gallo-Roman: "Mauriacense", which would mean "domain of Maurius".
... which is growing...
It is the medieval period which marks the rise of the place. With the creation of the counties by Charlemagne, Moyrazès becomes a seigniory until 1218, when it is given to the bishop of Rodez. The village then became the summer residence of the bishops until they entrusted the management to a noble knight in the 16th century.
Moyrazès served for a long time as a stage on the Rodez-Villefranche road. Its economic dynamism gave rise to fairs as early as the 14th century. Numerous mills were running on the surrounding streams.
... and whose history you can still guess today:
While strolling through the streets, you can linger in the 16th century church, a gothic building with a pentagonal choir, see the old seigniorial prison, and enjoy the singing of the water of 2 old fountains.
End your tour at the oratory built on the heights on the site of an old windmill. On a clear day, it is possible to enjoy an exceptional panorama: Rodez, the Cantal and Aubrac, the Palanges, the Lévézou and even the Pyrenees.
Small anecdote
:
Doctor Marie-Auguste Foucras, mayor of the commune from 1789 to 1904, gave the names of La Fayette, Ferry, Tunis, Bizerte, Richelieu, Marengo to the hamlets created during his term of office, thus offering his constituents a real world tour and a history lesson
In the vicinity of the commune:
> The castle of Cayla, on its rocky spur which has dominated the Aveyron since the 13th century.
> The bridge of Caumencau, dating from the 15th century, located below the castle in the heart of the forest. Today, it is a crossing point of the GR62B.
