Saint-Montan

One of the most beautiful villages of Ardèche

Saint-Montan is a hilltop village situated 25km to the south of Montélimar, along the Rhône Valley. It is classed as a Village of Character since 1998.

As you stroll through the village, you will find it difficult to believe that at the  end of the 1960s Saint-Montan was just a field of ruins invaded by the bramble.
The medieval town, progressively deserted then totally abandoned in 1969, was entirely restored thanks to the immense work of the Association of Friends of Saint Montan, and thousands of volunteers coming from around the world for 40 years now.
The castle and the medieval village have today regained the aspect that they had in the 13th century.

Saint-Montan is not just a “museum village”; it is a living village thanks to the tremendous dynamism of the Association des Amis de Saint-Montan, founded in 1970 by the Abbot Pierre Arnaud. Many artists and craftspeople have settled in the restored houses. Guided tours and discovery days are organized throughout the year.

To discover:

  • The feudal castle, built on a outcrop on the Agache rock.
    Overlooking the town, this medieval stronghold was built by the bishops of Viviers and testified to their power.

 

  • The village
    The association became the sole proprietor of the old medieval market town and allowed for its restoration in collaboration with the architectural review board or “Architects des Bâtiments de France”. All of the homes have today been rebuilt.

 

  • The Expo-Museum (free admission)
    An exhibition space, it retraces the history of Saint-Montan and its restoration.

 

  • The chapel and the San Samonta church, situated at the exit from the village in the direction of Larnas, overlooks the "Grotte de Lourdes" of which the waters are reputed for curing fevers.

 

  • The Saint André de Mitroys Chapel, situated on Route D262 and entirely restored by the association between 1970 and 1971.

 

  • Sainte Marie-Madeleine Church, situated just below the medieval town.

 

  • The garden called "Du Curé".
    It was transformed into a garden of fragrances on the initiative of a village resident, Mme Géraldène   HOLT, a writer passionate about botany, in particular for its use in the culinary arts. This garden is a public garden that you can reach via a small stone bridge.

 

  • The cave of the hermit Montanus, who gave his name to the village, situated on the hill north of the gorges of the Sainte-Baume


And many other curiosities that you can discover by strolling the village's cobbled streets and its surrounding areas.


In the area around Saint-Montan
Situated in the Southern Ardèche, at the junction of the departments of the Drôme, the Vaucluse and the Gard, Saint Montan offers you both the peace of a village and the many activities nearby:
- The Villages of Character of the Ardèche
- Bourg-Saint-Andéol, 7km
- Viviers and its cathedral, 10km
- The Gorges of the Ardèche, 20km
- The Cave of Saint-Marcel d'Ardèche, 23km
- The dolmens of the Bois des Géantes forest, 8km
- The lavender distillery of Rimourin, 8km
- The Forest of Les Jeux, Bourg Saint-Andéol, 12km
- Montélimar, its museums, its animation and its nougat, 26km


 

southern ardèche

Copyright photos : Wikipédia
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