Saint-Martin-D'août combines a rural landscape with a local history that can be read in its buildings and memorial sites. The commune lies among hills, valleys and agricultural land; numerous viewpoints offer views of the Monts d’Ardèche and the Vercors. The Vermeille is also part of the landscape: this 8.3-kilometre watercourse borders the commune and is a tributary of the Galaure. The landscape and local history thus stand alongside one another as distinct points of interest.
Landscape and paths
The Vermeille has helped shape the landscape, local agricultural practices and the walking paths that are so popular today. Those interested in the rural side of the area can consider these subjects together: the river is part of both the landscape and its development. The viewpoints offer an additional perspective on the surrounding area, including two named landscapes, the Monts d’Ardèche and the Vercors.
For another perspective on the area, the “Entre Valloire et Galaure” mountain biking route reaches Saint-Martin-D'août. This offers different ways to explore the area: walking paths and a mountain biking route. Which one suits your plans depends on whether you would rather explore on foot or include a mountain biking route. Check trail conditions before setting off.
Church and rural architecture
The church of Saint-Martin-D'août overlooks the village. Abbé F. Rostaing had it built in 1893. It is also a prominent landmark on the way in: the church is visible when arriving via the D321 from the direction of Châteauneuf-de-Galaure. This information links getting your bearings to a specific building and its history, without requiring a precise walking route.
A second architectural point of interest is the Mairie-Ecole building. It reflects the traditional architecture of rural public buildings in the Drôme département. Together, the church and the Mairie-Ecole illustrate two different aspects of local building history: the village church, with its construction date and prominent location, and a type of building whose architecture is associated with rural public institutions in the Drôme.
Memorial sites with different stories
In the hamlet of La Baume, a memorial stele honouring Louis Aragon and Elsa Triolet was inaugurated on 30 June 2018. Both were writers in the Resistance who found refuge in the Drôme during the Second World War. The stele also marks the place where, according to testimonies collected by local historians, the manuscripts of the novel Aurélien were hidden during operations by the Milice and the Gestapo.
The war memorial commemorates 19 residents who died for France in the First World War. It lists their names, dates of death and places of death. After the former memorial in the municipal cemetery was destroyed in a storm, it was rebuilt behind the apse of the village church. Its history therefore includes both the names of the fallen and the memorial’s relocation.
Another historical point of interest is the crash of a French Air Force Bloch MB.210 No. 183 bomber in the commune on 15 December 1939. The aircraft belonged to the 51st Bomber Squadron. A memorial stele at the crash site is dedicated to airman Pierre Lucas (1917–1939). Together, these details make the area’s history of remembrance accessible from the perspective of aviation as well.
Saint-Martin-D'août offers a range of ways to choose what to focus on: the landscape and walking paths, rural architecture, or memorial sites, each with its own historical associations. Those who want to explore several subjects can take in the river landscape and buildings as well as the different memories of the First World War and the Resistance era.
Discover more destinations: Vers-Sur-Méouge, Épinouze, Plaisians, Chamaret, Salles-Sous-Bois, Chabrillan, Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence, Pierrelongue.
For the wider travel overview: Drôme.
