Omblèze

The district of Omblèze is the largest and the most varied of the country of Gervanne. The discovery of tiles and coins of the 3rd and 4th century proove that the country of Gervanne was inhabited until Omblèze.

The heart of the Omblèze commune is a beautiful come, an "end of the world", where family hamlets dot the landscape: Arbods, Bertrands, Bouton, Bouaches.
Above, the Ambel plateau is a vast, undulating tableland, rich in sinkholes, dolines and dry valleys. At the end of the gorge, people settled on the Ansage slope.
Protohistoric remains can be found at Anse.
During the Late Roman Empire, the Omblèze valley appears to have been inhabited (10 4th-century coins found under a tile).
In the early Middle Ages, the priories of St Jean Baptiste d'Omblèze and St Michel d'Anse were established, both parishes depending on Eygluy.
During the Wars of Religion in the 16th century, the village of Omblèze remained Catholic and experienced no unrest. The same was true during the French Revolution, although the commune still had a popular assembly.
In the 19th century, the village became very active with the opening of the Gorges road. At the time, it had almost 500 inhabitants, 5 mills and renowned fairs.
In 1942, the Ambel farm welcomed a group of STO draft dodgers, billed as the oldest maquis in France.
Today, the village of Omblèze is known for its scenic beauty, rock-climbing and hiking sites, where nature and sports tourism are very much in evidence.