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All France Saugues Museum of the Beast of Gevaudan

Museum of the Beast of Gevaudan

An unsettling shrine dedicated to the ravenous beast that prowled 18th-century France.

Saugues, France

Added By
Allison Meier
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About

From 1764 to 1770, some horrible creature was devouring French citizens, yet the mystery of this ravenous animal has never been solved. 

The man-eater that appeared like a wolf picked the province of Gévaudan (now the department of Lozère) as its hunting ground, with around 100 deaths attribute to the Beast of Gévaudan. Some speculate it was a monstrously large wolf, some a werewolf, some even a lost hyena. Nevertheless, its end is attributed to a shot by Jean Chastel who is honored with a monument in La Besseyre-Saint-Mary, while a young woman who wounded it in a showdown gets an even more dramatic statue in Auvers.

The Museum of the Beast of Gévaudan (Musée fantastique de la Bête du Gévaudan) in Saugues, located not far from the base of the town's iconic Tour des Anglais, takes you through 22 dioramas over four floors that aim to immerse you in the terror and confusion wrought by the animal. You can meet the citizens of Gévaudan, played by somewhat unsettling mannequins in moody lighting, and try to figure out just what is killing everyone. And while you're in Saugues, keep an eye on the hillside where a giant sculpture of the beast looms. 

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Werewolves Wolves Museums Cryptozoology

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Allison

Published

September 15, 2013

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  • http://www.auvergnevacances.com/patrimoine-culturel/musee-fantastique-de-la-bete-du-gevaudan,PCUAUV043FS00014,PCU,11.html
  • http://dismoiou.fr/p/fra/saugues/DmTVTE/musee-fantastique-de-la-bete-du-gevaudan
Museum of the Beast of Gevaudan
Rue des Tours Neuves
Saugues, 43170
France
44.960087, 3.547141
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Nearby Places

Monument to Jean Chastel, Beast Slayer

La Besseyre-Saint-Mary, France

miles away

Marie-Jeanne Valet vs. the Beast of Gevaudan

Auvers Village, France

miles away

Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe (St. Michael of the Needle)

Le Puy, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 700
Stories 74

Nearby Places

Monument to Jean Chastel, Beast Slayer

La Besseyre-Saint-Mary, France

miles away

Marie-Jeanne Valet vs. the Beast of Gevaudan

Auvers Village, France

miles away

Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe (St. Michael of the Needle)

Le Puy, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 700
Stories 74

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