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Origin and history

The fortress of Mornas, perched on a rocky escarpment overlooking the Rhone, was a strategic point from ancient times. The Gauls and Romans used to control river navigation and secure borders. After the battle of Vindalium, the Romans dismantled the Gallic oppidum to avoid rebellion, melting Orange as a symbol of their domination. The region, integrated into Provincia Romana in 118, enjoyed relative peace thanks to the trade routes to Spain.

Mentioned for the first time in the 9th century as Rupea Morenata, the fortress became an issue between the Abbey of Aniane, the Archdiocese of Arles and the Counts of Toulouse. In the 12th century, it was reinforced with wooden fortifications, then with stone. During the crusade against the Albigois (1209), Raymond VI of Toulouse, accused of heresy, had to yield it to the Church before she returned to the Counts, then to the Pope in 1229. Confeded to the knights of St John of Jerusalem in 1274, it was returned in 1305 because of its cost of maintenance.

During the Hundred Years' War, the fortress served as a bulwark against the roadmen, before falling into the hands of the Protestants in 1562 under Montbrun, lieutenant of the Baron des Adrets. The wars of Religion accelerated its decline: neglected, it lost its defensive role after the sixteenth century. Rediscovered in the 19th century, its restoration began in 1977 thanks to the association Les Amis de Mornas. Joined historic monuments in 1927, it now offers summer entertainment.

The fortress is organized around a plateau of 200 m by 70 m, with a northern part housing the dungeon (XIIIth century?), a renovated Romanesque chapel, and tanks. The lower courtyard, in the south, is surrounded by a 14th century enclosure. Its homogeneous military architecture makes it difficult to date the elements accurately. The site offers an exceptional panorama of the Rhône valley, reflecting its past strategic importance.

The excavations and restorations revealed traces of Gallic poppidum, Roman post-battle towers of Vindalium, and medieval developments. The Roman centuriations, crisscrossing the land, erased the old Gallic pillars, marking a break in the territorial organization. The fortress, a symbol of the conflicts between religious and secular powers, also illustrates the evolution of defensive techniques, from wood to stone to stone to the 14th to 16th centuries.

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