Lamastre

The city occupies a position crossroads with its 9 surrounding communes gathering more than 6000 inhabitants. Its geographical location, with the doors of the Regional natural park of the Mounts of Ardeche in fact a tourist and cultural pole important.

To see:

• Church, priory and old village of Macheville:

The bedside of the church with the window of the chorus and its let us modillons is Romance (XII century). Inside, ten capitals, which one can date from the XI century, were probably employed again during the rebuilding partial of the church by the Jesuits at the XVII century. The bell-tower and the first spans of the nave are end of the XIX century. Old priory remain a tower and a beautiful door of the XV century surmounted by its bretèche.

• Ruins of the castle of Peychelard (X century):

The castle of Peychelard, built on a barred spur, was the first residence of the lords of Lamastre. The stones of the houses of the high city, little by little abandoned, were re-used to build the houses of the low city, current Lamastre.

• Ruins of the castle of Retourtour (X century):

Perhaps frame on a monticule, this castle owes its name with Latin " Retortoris" because of the peninsula closed by the Soft one. Quarrels of succession at the XIV century are probably at the origin of the ruin of the castle. It is told that at the beginning of the XVII century still lived a small lord " there; brigand" who held to ransom the surroundings…

• The Seignobos Park:

Halt freshness in the middle of the village. Rare gasoline rich person, it is an good example of garden of the 19th century, called pompeusement " parc" by people of the country. Do not fail to observe the gingko biloba, the araucaria and the other rare gasolines, planted here more than one hundred years.

This small haven of peace accomodates in summer of the spectacles and many greedy times of a picnic

Pleasures and discovery:

• In Retourtour, bathe supervised in the water level on the Doux.
• For smallest, a crib and a recreational centre propose a framing and activities.
• Throughout the year, trott them with foot, horse or with bicycle will make you discover the beauty of the landscape at the rhythm of the seasons.

Variety of cultural leisures:

• Concerts or spectacles of streets each Thursday in July-August.
• Library, multi-media center of communication.
• Guided visits of the Inheritance.
• Living room of the Craft industry in July and August
• Many religious organizations invite you to live their activities: pottery, music, painting, song, cinema, dance…

Rural small village of 538 inhabitants, its altitude passes from 312 m in the edge of Doux at 1.020 Mr. the etymology of his name would be either Roman “Ampurias”, or Greek “Emporion” and will become in XVIèm Ampuragny century.

You will discover there a church restored in the XI and XIX century.

The streets of Empurany, the vain one, found the old names of formerly on wood plates.

Local services are waiting for you: elementary school, versatile room, youth hostel.

Located at the crossroads of the oceanic and Mediterranean influences, Gilhoc sur Omèze invites you, by the freshness of its wood, the sun most of the year, including the winter, its calm, to discover its countryside thanks to its many marked out paths.

On our premises, quantity of place names evokes ancient gods and goddesses.

Varied agricultural productions: cherries, apricots, fishings, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and sweet chestnuts but also of cow, goat's milk cheeses and ewe.

The village of Lafarre, perched at 750m high on its rocky outcrop, dominates the valley of Doux and Tailharès. It is sheltered by the solid mass of Sardier which culminates with 1274m from where you can see the alpine range in the east and Mézenc in the west. Its church of XIII century is surrounded by many hamlets, disseminated on the slopes of its wooded mountains.

Forty “farassous” live breeding (bovines, spangled, layers bio), or work outside the commune. Some artists reside there at the year or during the summer season (sculptors, ceramists). A camp-site is installed at the edge of the Doux. Communal lodgings at the village and private rooms of hosts offer stays of rest to the hikers, to fishermen and to walkers eager to discover a fauna and a rare flora.

Lafarre is a harbour of silence and rest offering of beautiful stroll on its marked out paths.

This charming village of 516 inhabitants has many pilot monuments of a rich history. Certain characteristic passages on our roads owe their names to the former Cevennes muleteers, who had baptized them according to their aspect. Thus Monteil is the “rise”, from where the name of the place.

The church of Romance origin, was destroyed during the wars of religion and was rebuilt at the XVII century. Each year, a procession was organized with the fountain St Pierre to bless the grumpy children there. Today still this tradition, is maintained last Sunday of June or first Sunday of July.

Other fountains and crosses mark out the roads and ways and invite you to walks in a wild and generous nature.