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Origin and history

The former Protestant temple of Poët-Laval, now transformed into a museum of Dauphin Protestantism, is an emblematic building located in the municipality of Le Poët-Laval, Drôme. Built from the 14th century, it was initially integrated into the commandory of hospital knights before becoming a communal house in the 15th century. This place is one of the three French Protestant temples before the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685, having survived thanks to his civil service after the ban on Reformed worship.

In 1622 the building was converted into a Protestant temple while the region, marked by the influence of the Reformation, was home to a strong Huguenot community. After the revocation of the edict of Nantes, he became again a common house, thus escaping the systematic destruction of Protestant places of worship ordered by Louis XIV. It was only in 1807, under the influence of the 1787 edict of tolerance and the 1789 Declaration of Human Rights, that the temple was restored as a place of worship, before being disused in 1935.

Since 1961, the building has been home to the Musée du Protestantisme Dauphinois, retracing local religious history. Its architecture preserves characteristic elements of the Reformed temples of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, such as a central pulpit and benches arranged in a circle. The temple hall, facades and roofs were listed in the historical monuments inventory in 2014, highlighting its heritage importance.

The building also underwent renovations in the 19th century (1860) and extensions between 1976 and 1978, including an exhibition hall, a library and an apartment. These changes reflect its evolution from a place of worship to a museum space dedicated to Protestant memory in Dauphiné. Its history illustrates the religious tensions in France and the resilience of the reformed communities in the Drôme.

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