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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Vallon-Pont-d'Arc finds its origins in a first building located on the hill of Chastelas, destroyed twice during the Wars of Religion. Fired in 1559, then razed in 1628 by the Protestant troops of the Duke of Rohan, it was rebuilt by order of Louis XIII after the surrender of Privas in 1629. The inhabitants, sentenced to a fine, had to finance a new castle for their lord, erected between 1630 and 1639 on the ruins of a 16th century building at the place called Saint-Saturnin.

The architecture of the castle combines walls in pebbles and stones, with a body of rectangular houses flanked by steeped towers. Its interior features a 15 metre high hall and a stone staircase d-Orgnac, adorned with a ironwork ramp classified as a historical monument. The façade, reinforced by an 18th-century foothill, reflects the successive modifications suffered by the building, notably after its acquisition by the Merle de Lagorce family in 1748.

The castle preserves seven 17th-century Aubusson tapestries from a collection of seventy pieces from the Château de Montréal. These works, six of which illustrate The Jerusalem delivered from the Cup and one represents a lesson in grafting, were neglected after the town purchased the castle in 1847. Restored between 1951 and 1955 in the Gobelins, they are now exhibited in the old company room, which became the wedding room.

Partially protected since the 20th century, the castle now houses the city hall. Its vestibule, stairway and facades enjoy classifications or inscriptions as historical monuments, testifying to its heritage importance. The building, open to the public, embodies the turbulent history of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, between religious conflicts and artistic heritage.

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