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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The former village of Allan, located in the Drôme in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, is a medieval village abandoned since 1907. Founded in the 12th century, it was permanently extended in the 14th century and was girded with four-door walls (La Fontaine, Porte Neuve, Porte de Monjoux, Porte Nord du château). A church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist was built there between 1601 and 1620, while external defensive developments date from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The main gate, decorated with the seigneurial coat of arms, was erected in 1613.

The village was successively owned by three large families: the Adhémar de Monteil (seigneurs de Montélimar), the Poitiers Valentinois, and the Popes Saint-Auban. These dynasties built two castles there. In the 19th century, life in the perched village became unsustainable due to steep roads and isolation. In 1830, the inhabitants began to settle in the plain, in the new hamlet of "La Begude", declared the only parish center in 1857.

In 1878 the materials of the former town hall, the church of Saint John the Baptist and cemeteries were auctioned. Since 1989, the site has been classified as a Historic Monument, and since 1988, the Allan association, stone and memory works to preserve it by works of clearing, consolidation of walls and cultural animations. The ruins still dominate the Rhodanian corridor, 6 km east of Montelimar.

Local archives, such as Azema and Orband (1990) or Bois and Poinas (1987), document its history. The village illustrates the decline of perched habitats in favour of the plains, a symbol of the social and economic changes of the 19th century in Drôme. Today, the site attracts visitors for its architectural heritage and exceptional panorama.

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