40 winding paths on a mountain bike

5 points of interest

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  Patrimony and history

  The Saint Louis Chapel

  In the 16th century, religious wars were raging throughout France. Protestant troops settled in the Queyras valley. In 1561, a Protestant community is formed in Abriès. From 1574 to 1583, altercations occur and in 1587, the Queyras valley becomes Protestant. The Edict of Nantes (1598), established by King Henry IV of France, grants freedom of worship and soothes conflicts. When Louis XIV came to power, he sought to unify the kingdom religiously. After many persecutions, he revokes the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Like the Protestants of France, many Queyrassins (demonym for the people living in the Queyras) decide to migrate to Switzerland, Germany, Latin America and South Africa. The Saint Louis Chapel was built after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes on funds donated by King Louis XIV of France.

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  Patrimony and history

  Prats-Bas

  The entrance to the village of Prats-Bas. In the background, we can see the Mount Pointe de Rasis. In between, we can make out the valley of the Aigue Blanche mountain torrent

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  Patrimony and history

  Prats-Haut

  In the Queyras, each valley has its architectural features. Here, the building type is that of the great vaulted stable. The ground floor is in masonry, primer and partly buried upstream. The entrance is through a yard which gives access to the stable, the "estabblot" (a pen for goats and ewes), the kitchen and the bedroom (Cazet). A raised floor allowed the family to live right above the animals and so to enjoy their heat. The construction above is in wood. It is very airy in order to dry the hay. The floors to the north, very resistant, were used for threshing and the balconies facing southwest were used for drying. The roof is usually from shingle.

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  Patrimony and history

  Saint Barnabé Oratory

  Oratories are small religious monuments for prayer. But not only, they could be used to indicate a direction, a spring, a ravine or the entrance of a village. Each oratory protects its patron saint and every patron saint is prayed to for a reason. Saint Barnabé was called upon to stop the rain triggered by Saint Médard, the patron saint of farmers. A saying states: "If it rains on St Medardus’ Day, it rains for forty days more".

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  Flora

  Fistulina hepatica (beefsteak fungus)

  Better known as the "Ox Tongue", this fungus mainly grows on oak and sweet chestnut trees. It takes advantage of tree wounds or holes to settle. When this fungus emerges on its host, it causes a colour change, but does not alter the structure of the wood. In fact the wood is reddish-brown and keeps its strength. In rarer cases, this wood is sought in cabinetmaking.

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