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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc was built between 1630 and 1639 on the ruins of an old 16th century residence, at the initiative of the local lord after the surrender of Privas in 1629. This project resulted from an obligation imposed by Louis XIII on the Protestant inhabitants of Vallon to pay a fine and rebuild a castle for their lord. The materials used, pebbles and stones, took over the existing foundations, while the architecture mêla body of rectangular houses and steeped corners.

The castle changed hands in 1748, when the Merle family of Lagorce acquired it. In 1847, the municipality became the owner for 42,000 francs, settling schools, justice of peace, and telegraph. Today it is a city hall, with a classified stone staircase, with a iron ramp, as well as seven tapestries from the 17th century Aubusson. These were restored in the Gobelins between 1951 and 1955 after decades of abandonment from the Château de Montréal via an aristocratic marriage.

The building enjoys three protections for historical monuments: inscription of the vestibule in 1939, classification of the staircase in 1946, and inscription of facades and roofs in 1970. The tapestries, exhibited in the old company room (now the wedding hall), illustrate Jerusalem delivered from the Cup, with the exception of a room dedicated to a grafting lesson. Their preservation reflects the commitment of the State and local authorities to preserving the textile heritage.

The site, open to the public, embodies the turbulent history of Vivarais, marked by the wars of Religion and post-conflict reconstruction. Its sober architecture, combined with residual defensive elements (scrambled towers), reflects the transitions between the Middle Ages and modern times, while its successive uses — seigneurial, municipal, cultural — underline its anchoring in local life for nearly four centuries.

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