Chantemerle-Lès-Grignan lies on the northern slope of the limestone Plateau du Rouvergue. The village’s history and landscape offer different points of interest: in the village, paths, churches and individual architectural features give historical themes a concrete setting; on the plateau, dry-stone enclosures shape the cultural landscape for several kilometres. When choosing where to stay, you can consider whether you are more interested in the history of the village or its landscape features. Both perspectives are linked to clearly identified places and themes.

Paths through the village’s history

La Calade was the only route into the village from the north, passing through the main gate beside today’s town hall; it is now used as a walking path. It therefore brings together two periods: its former role as the northern entrance and its current use as a walking route. The Passage du Bedeau leads from the church to the “Château” and represents a different connection between places. If you would like to combine village history with a walk, La Calade answers the question of where the former entrance was, while the Passage du Bedeau identifies the route between the church and the Château. The two names help distinguish between these different connections.

Churches and architectural traces

After the Église Saint-Maurice was destroyed, the Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Grâces served as the parish church. The Église Saint-Maurice dates from the 18th century. The chapel also has a seasonal cultural role: in summer, it serves as an exhibition venue for artists who wish to exhibit there. The two churches thus bring together different aspects: the chapel’s former parish function, the date of the Église Saint-Maurice and the chapel’s summer use for exhibitions. If the exhibitions are of particular interest to you, you can take summer into account when planning your trip.

An apse remains from the former Prieuré Saint-Maurice; behind it is a stone sarcophagus. The entrance to the Borie des Hermas is triangular. The village washhouse, Le Lavoir, was built in 1788. These details add other perspectives to the history of the churches: a surviving architectural structure with a sarcophagus, a distinctive entrance feature and a village washhouse with a known date. Cultural history is therefore reflected not only in former religious uses, but also in individual architectural traces and the village’s everyday infrastructure.

The plateau as a landscape feature

Dry-stone enclosures extend for several kilometres across the Plateau du Rouvergue. Their scale differs from that of the individual buildings and named paths in the village: here, the focus is on a landscape feature rather than a single structure. When weighing up the village’s history and its landscape, you can take these different points of interest into account. The paths and buildings bring historical connections together at specific places; the enclosures draw attention to a cultural landscape extending over several kilometres.

Note about the Site des Crevasses

The Site des Crevasses is believed to have formed when an earthquake in the 18th century opened fissures in the rock. The Site des Crevasses is privately owned and dangerous; do not plan a visit there.

Discover more destinations: Chastel-Arnaud, Mercurol, Saint-Bardoux, Saulce-Sur-Rhône, Chabrillan, Saint-Donat-Sur-L'herbasse, Propiac, Hostun

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