Château de Luc

Château de Luc is a castle ruin perched on a strategic hilltop between the Gévaudan and Vivarais regions in the area of Luc, France. The site features a square keep and the remnants of fortified walls that reveal how this position was used to control movement across the landscape.

The castle was built in the 12th century and served as a toll collection point along the Regordane Way, a major pilgrimage route leading toward Saint Gilles. This role on an important trade and pilgrimage path explains why it was built in such a strategic location.

The keep was transformed into a chapel in 1878, and local residents added a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary at its summit. This blend of religious devotion and medieval ruins creates a distinctive spiritual quality visitors still notice today.

Access to the ruins is possible via a gently sloping path that leads to the entrance without needing climbing equipment. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes since the ground is uneven and footing can be uncertain in places.

Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson documented the hilltop ruins and Virgin Mary statue in his book 'Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes'. His observations from the mid-1800s preserve a snapshot of how the site appeared to a visitor from that era.