Bozouls, Aveyron: The Village Clinging To The Edge Of A Canyon

A gigantic hole? A canyon? Buildings teetering on the edge, as if they might tumble into the abyss? Welcome to “Le Trou de Bozouls”—the Bozouls hole—located in south-central France. I made a special trip to Bozouls, Aveyron to see this hole—all created by Mother Nature, and it took my breath away!

If you can’t travel here in person, catch a glimpse of Bozouls and its stunning canyon  in the television series, “Monsieur Spade” available for streaming on AMC+, Sundance TV, and Acorn. The first episode is free on Apple TV+. [More about the series is at the end of this post.] 

Bozouls Aveyron And The Enormous Hole

Size Of The Bozouls Hole

The canyon of Bozouls is approximately 100 metres deep and 400 metres in diameter. Talk about one massive hole in France! It’s as if a meteorite hit earth, created a big hole and the inhabitants decided, “let’s set up our village on the edge of this hole!”. Through the centuries, homes,  businesses, and historic buildings like Romanesque church of Sainte-Fauste were built right on the edge of the cliff.

Where Is Bozouls Located?

I visited this amazing place in the Aveyron region when I was staying in Rodez as it’s only 25 minutes away. I spent a couple of hours there because I not only wanted to walk around the perimeter, but I also wanted to go down to the bottom of the horseshoe-shaped canyon. The Dourdou de Conques river created this canyon, which eroded the limestone plateau. Today, the river still runs through the bottom of the canyon.

Bozouls vs. Other Holes And Striking Villages In France

• Bozouls is much bigger and deeper than Gouffre de Padirac (known as the Padirac Chasm or “Devil’s Hole”) in the Lot department. There you can head down into the caves and even ride a boat through various chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Both are impressive. Here’s a link for more information about Gouffre de Padirac.
• The village of Bozouls is located on the edge of a canyon whereas the villages of Rocamadour and Saint Cirq-Lapopie seem to hang onto the edge of the hillsides in the Lot department. Both are designated “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” (Most Beautiful Villages Of France). Here’s a link to read more about those two villages: Rocamadour and Saint Cirq-Lapopie and Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.

Bozouls History

Bozouls dates back to the Iron Age and remains from that era and the Roman era have been unearthed. One of the items, “God of Bozouls”, made out of sandstone, can be found at the Musée Fenaille in Rodez. It dates back to the 1st century BC. (I visited this museum and found it to be very interesting).

In the Middle Ages, the Counts of Rodez and Knights Hospitaller used Bozouls as their home. A château was built in the 9th century and the canyon provided additional defense as one could only approach this French town from the south. Today there are only ruins left of the castle, including two turrets.

Walking Around Bozouls And The Canyon

There is an excellent map of Bozouls which indicates the sites in the canyon, including the Sainte-Fauste church, footbridges, viewpoints, waterfalls, and picnic areas. What was particularly useful was information about the hiking trails so you can decide how you’d like to explore and view the canyon— from the terraces above, along rue du Trou, or from below in the canyon. The walking paths were well laid out and the trail I took was easy and gave me lots of panoramic views.

Hiking Trails (Sentiers de Rondonnée)

There are three different hiking trails and I did the first, PR1, so that I could have a little picnic (there were picnic tables),  walk along the perimeter and see Eglise Sainte-Fauste. I also wandered around the canyon for a bit.

• PR1-Deep in the Gorge d’Enfer (1 hour, 2km)
• PR2-Exploring The Canyon (1:30 hours, 4 km)
• PR3-The Dourdou: gorges and rock faces (2 hours, 6 km)

Elgise Saint-Fauste de Bozouls

From across the canyon you can’t help but see the beautiful church, Eglise Sainte-Fauste. It sits on the edge of a promontory (cliff)—at the end of a rocky spur. You can easily visit this church during your walk around the canyon.

The Sainte-Fauste church was built of red sandstone in the 12th century with a Romanesque design. There is  a bell tower entrance, nave, and choir area and many  columns with detailed carvings of human figures and leaf patterns.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, additional parts were added to the church including 5 side chapels.  In the 17th and 18th centuries, restoration work was done, including the addition of buttresses. These were added to strengthen the church as the slate roof of the main hall was too heavy to be safely supported by the walls and pillars.

Eglise Sainte-Fauste was designated a Historic Monument in 1920.

Bozouls And The Monsieur Spade Series

In January 2024, the streaming service, AMC+ released the 6 episode mini-series, “Monsieur Spade”. Sam Spade is the fictional detective created by author Dashiell Hammett and Monsieur Spade is played by Clive Owen. It is in English and French (with subtitles). Two notable co-stars are Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve’s daughter, and American actress, Alfre Woodard.

Spade is living a quiet retirement in Bozouls, France, in 1963. However, his peace is shattered by the brutal murder of six nuns at a local convent, pulling him back into a web of mystery. As he investigates, Spade uncovers dark secrets the townspeople have been hiding, tied to espionage during WWII, while facing threats to both his life and those close to him.

While there were many storylines and at times a confusing plot, the scenery, classic French cars of the 1960s, and French music made up for these weaknesses.

Here’s the trailer for the series:  https://youtu.be/WoRPIEtbcBM?si=qf6wTOcRhJL48fLt

Have you been to Bozouls in Aveyron? What was your impression?

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