The undergrounds have been fantasizing human beings for a very long time. Shelter for mythological animals, or receptacle of the Cathar treasure, nothing can resist the imagination. The reality is less picturesque but still very interesting.
The undergrounds are called cluzels in Occitan, they are the work of rural communities at a time between the year 1000 and the 15th century. They are often located close to habitat areas and probably close to cultivation areas.
Their use as a place to store crops seems indisputable. Which does not mean that they only had this utility. We have testimonies which show that some used these places to hide.
The traces of the chisel still visible
But what about that of Marssac? Located about 50 meters from the Tarn, the underground has long been known to locals. Closed today, it is entered through an opening in the form of a silo cover. The neck is flared and you have to descend 3 meters to reach the ground. It is probably not the original opening but an exit arranged in modern times. It is vaulted in brick.
The underground is carved in a soft limestone, we can still see very well the traces of the peaks which hollowed it out. A gallery leads to the river to the north, but it is obstructed and partially collapsed. It has also been taken up in bricks. No one will ever know what it was leading to.
Another gallery heads towards the village, to the south. It is 8 meters long. Two niches are carved into the walls to place a lamp. There is even a system to install a closure. Today the gallery is flooded by about thirty centimeters of water. This underground passage is surely the vestige of developments linked to the medieval port of Marssac.
–
