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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-des-Aubagnans chapel, located in Rochegude, is a fortified Romanesque chapel whose major work dates back to the 12th century. It was built on a small nipple at an altitude of 113 metres, on the site of an ancient Gallo-Roman vicus named Albagnanius, one of the oldest in the region. This monument depended, as early as 1115, on the priory of the Saint-Ruf Abbey of Valencia, whose canons were its decimators. Its architecture combines Romanesque elements, such as a small regular device partially dated from the 9th century, with defensive reinforcements added in the 14th century, such as mâchicoulis, murderers and niches, reflecting its role as a refuge for the inhabitants.

The fief of the Aubagnans, initially under the suzerainety of the Barony of Montauban-sur-l'Ouvèze, passed to the Dolphins of Vienna in the 14th century. It became a delphinal enclave in Comtat Venaissin, a status preserved until the Revolution. The chapel, inscribed in historical monuments since 1926, illustrates Provencal Romanesque art with a vaulted nave at 9.95 meters, double arches and a western facade with a defensive brace. Its history is marked by partial destructions, especially during the wars of Religion, and its gradual abandonment after the suppression of the order of Saint Ruf in the eighteenth century.

The site, occupied as early as the Iron Age, also housed a Gallo-Roman villa with archaeological remains, such as a statue of Bacchus in white marble, now exhibited at the National Archaeology Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The name Aubagnans derives from the Gallo-Roman name Albanius, evolving through the centuries (Albagnanius in 1135, Albanhano in 1206). The chapel, with its adjoining building in ruins, remains a testimony of the political and religious dynamics of the region, between Dauphinian influence and pontifical power.

The fortifications of the chapel, including archères and a passage through the thick walls, responded to the threats of the roadmen, the idle mercenaries who ravaged the region after the conflicts. The priory, united in Rochegude in the 15th century by the Saluces, was finally acquired by Robert d-Acqueria in 1667. Despite his beginning, he remained served by the canons of Saint-Ruf until 1774. Today, the monument, owned by the municipality, preserves remarkable elements such as a 11th century cornice of modillons and a lauze cover.

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