Musée du Désert

In the heart of a typical hamlet in the Cevennes, the alleyways lead to the birthplace and house of Camisard leader, Roland. Through artifacts and authentic documents, the DESERT MUSEUM brings to life the Huguenot past and the history of the Camisards.

Why the Desert ?

In the history of French Protestantism, the expression Desert defines the period of time between the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) and the French Revolution (1789).

Deprived of freedom of worship, far from the cities, hidden in isolated areas, deserts (in the wilderness, forests, caves, or gullies…), where the Protestants in France (in the Cevennes, but also in Haut-Languedoc, in Poitou, Dauphiné, Vivarais…) were obligated to live out their faith in hiding.

The Assembly of the Desert

This is a large gathering Protestant organized every year on the first Sunday in September on the grounds of the Museum of the Desert.
The first meeting took place September 24, 1911, at the inauguration of the Museum with its founding. Since then, every year except for a few years of war, takes place the meeting of the Desert, involving 15,000 to 20,000 people in an atmosphere that is both recovered and happily family.