Viviers Post #3 - Le Poët-Laval, "Un des plus beaux villages de France"

Our next side trip took us east, across the Rhône River, past Montélimar and into the countryside.  Our destination was Le Poët-Laval.   This village of just over 900 inhabitants has been designated « Un des plus beaux villages de France ».  Its name remains a mystery to us – we have no idea who the Poet Laval was/is or why this village is named for him.  However, the village has an interesting history.  So in the morning of another HOT day, we ventured up the hill for a tour of the village.

A view of the village from the road leading to it.  (from the web)

To get to the village, it’s necessary to drive up a steep winding road, leave the car in the parking lot and take a short hike into the village.  (No cars allowed in the village.)  Sounds like a good place to build a fortified castle.  And, around 1269, that’s just what the Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem (later to become the Order of Malta) did.  During the crusade era it was used as a staging post and refuge for pilgrims setting off for the Holy Land. It was extended in the 13th and 15th centuries and then sacked when the Revolution occurred.  The village walls and the castle keep remain and are very impressive from the road leading up to the village.

Welcome sign at the parking lot.

View of the countryside from the village

Showing part of the village wall.

Remains of the castle keep.

Anna in front of the ruins of the old castle church.

The village also has another religious facet.  It was actually a protestant stronghold for a long time, and is home to the Museum of Dauphinois Protestantism in a former private 14^th century mansion. The museum has exhibits covering the history of Protestantism in the Dauphiné region, from the Reformation to the religious wars and from the Edict of Nantes to the role of Protestants in the Resistance.  There is also a 19^th century protestant church to visit.  

More recently the village was essentially deserted and was being looted until 1926 when the "Friends of Old Poët-Laval" came into existence, interrupted the looting of the abandoned village and set about restoring and resurrecting the village. As tourist literature says, “The Poët-Laval of today is certainly different in many ways from the medieval village, but the spirit of the place has been safeguarded, avoiding the transformation of the site into a museum without soul while mobilizing a permanent collective effort around this remarkable ensemble whose natural environment has been preserved.”