Auzits

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In the Middle Ages Auzits was an important step for pilgrims as it lies on the road to Saint Jacques de Compostela (the path from Conques to Villefranchois). Near the present village there was a small chapel called the Chapel of the Hospital which welcomed the sick, tired, or dying. Under the responsibility of the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the chapel adjoining the hospice is today still in good condition.

In 1358 the English invaded the commune and stayed for thirty years. In 1398, after the withdrawal of the British, the fortified Chateau of Auzits was abandoned. Its inhabitants did not wish for another Lord so collectively decided to build the new village church on the ruins of this castle. Perched on the rocky outcrop overlooking the valley on massive buttresses, the tower was converted into a bell tower. The stones of the second tower were reused for the central nave of the church, which is the present Church of Saint-Maurice.

During the 19th and 20th centuries the commune experienced spectacular development by the coal industry. The many families who lived on coal-mining declined in number due to successive mine closures in Decazeville basin, leaving only remnants that are still visible on the Rulhe road.

• Remains of a Castle. Long before the present church was built a castle dominated the valley. The castle consisted of two towers, buttresses, towering ramparts, a drawbridge, a moat, and a crypt.
• Picturesque villages in Auzits and upper Rulhe.

The Church of Saint Maurice

Church of Saint Maurice Portal

The commune has one religious building that is registered as an historical monument:

• The Church of Saint Maurice (12th century).[9] The church of Saint-Maurice is a curious building because of its architecture. The crypt is oriented east and is part of the old castle chapel. Long abandoned by their inhabitants, these places are now freely available for visits. Decorated with wall paintings dating from the 14th century, this crypt is one of the jewels of Middle Ages Aveyron. Inside the church the altar, made of wood, has sculptures of Saint Maurice. In the centre a painting shows Jacques de Mauleon Labastide, Knight of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. Many treasures are no longer present in the church as they were stolen in 2001. Notably a Virgin and Child, dating from the 16th century in polychrome wood and gilded with gold. The Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Reliquary-Monstrance (19th century)[10]
  • A Statue: Virgin and child (15th century)[11]
  • A Ciborium (18th century)[12]
  • 2 Cruets with plate (19th century)[13]
  • A Statue: Virgin and child (15th century)[14]
  • A Retable and Painting: Saint Maurice (1610)[15]
  • A Processional Cross (17th century)[16]
  • A Reliquary-Monstrance (19th century)[17]

Other religious sites of interest

• Church of Saint Étienne de Rulhe.
• Chapel of Saint John of the Hospital.
• Chapel of Hautesserre.
• Cross of Hymes.

• Christian-Pierre Bedel, Rinhac: Anglars, Ausits, Bèl Castèl, Bornasèl, Gotrens, Las Candolièiras, Mairanh / Christian-Pierre Bedel and los estatjants del Rinhagués, Rodez, Mission départementale de la culture, coll. Al canton, 1991, ill., cov. ill., 28 cm, 230 p. (ISBN 2-907279-04-1, ISSN 1151-8375, BnF No. FRBNF36652250) (in French)