Olive oil plays two distinct roles in Les Mages: it features in a local tradition depicted in the fresco at the Eglise des Mages, and it is still produced at the Moulin à huile Rodier. The Capitelle de la Tourette and the Lavoir du Moinas add a perspective on rural building styles and their history. Together, these sites offer a way to explore the village through its stories, production and former agricultural use.

Fresco, Legend and Village Centre

The Eglise des Mages is in the village centre. Its façade features a 12-metre-high fresco, painted by Jean Marc Fraisse in 2012. The work connects a specific place with a story about the Three Wise Men, offering a distinctive way into Les Mages’ cultural themes.

According to local tradition, the Three Wise Men are said to have passed through the village and given three gifts: the secret of olives, or olive oil; the secret of black stones, or coal; and the secret of the silkworms of the mulberry tree, or silk. The kings and their journey belong to local tradition; the story links religious motifs with olive oil, coal and silk. Olive oil also connects this story with the mill, which is still operating in the village.

Oil Production and Building History

The Lavoir du Moinas offers a glimpse into a different timeline: it was built in the 1930s and restored in 2012. Its construction and subsequent restoration are therefore clearly distinct. The year 2012 also appears in connection with the fresco, but there it is the year it was painted. This distinction places the two local histories in context without conflating construction and restoration.

The Moulin à huile Rodier was already an olive oil mill in 1887 and is still in operation. Olive oil is produced there using traditional methods, including grinding with a stone mill, scourtins and a hydraulic press. This means the subject appears not only as a motif in a local tradition, but also as a specifically described production method. Tours of the mill and olive grove are available.

The Capitelle de la Tourette

The Capitelle de la Tourette reveals another side of rural building history. It is a simple limestone hut, with the stones joined by mortar. In the past, it provided temporary shelter for farmers, their tools and agricultural produce. This former function gives the simple structure a clear connection to agriculture. The Capitelle has become a symbol of Les Mages.

Its location also sets it apart from the church: the Eglise des Mages is in the village centre, while the Capitelle stands on La Tourette hill, which overlooks the village of Les Mages. Thus, these two cultural landmarks occupy different places in the village landscape. Visitors interested in religious traditions and painting will find a different subject in the fresco than in the Capitelle, with its former sheltering function, or the mill, where olive oil production continues.

Discover more destinations: Meynes, Marguerittes, Fontanès, Corbès, Campestre-Et-Luc, Générargues, Crespian, Aubais

For the broader travel overview: Gard.