An introduction

 

8000 inhabitants, a tourist town par excellence, Bourg St Andéol has been able to maintain her charm of former days. It is situated in proximity of main roads linking the North and South of France as well as the East and West.

Before the Roman era the town was called Bergoïata a name with a Celtic origin which indicated its situation, terraced on a rock alongside the Rhone river. The name changed to Burgus, or Burgum during the Roman era, then to Bourg-St-Andéol after the Subdeacon Andéol who christianised the area and was beheaded by the Romans within the city walls in 208 AD.

The town became prosperous under the influence of Roman civilisation. After the Barbarians’ invasions in the 5th century prosperity was restored under the Bishops of Viviers who ruled over the town for 250 years and granted a certain amount of civil freedom and exemptions. A great number of monuments remain as witnesses of a long historical past:

bas-relief Mithra

The god  Mithra

  • Near the centre of the town the bas-relief of the God Mithra (3rd century) carved in the rock which overlooks the spot where the river Tourne emerges from its underground course.

  • Saint-Andéol's Church (12th century, with parts dating from the 16th and 18th centuries) where a 3rd century sarcophagus is visible.

  • Saint-Polycarpe's Chapel (9th century).

  • The Bishops’ Palace (16th century).

  • The 17th century fountains (Grandes-Fontaines, Petites-Fontaines, Fontaine de Neptune...).

  • Numerous Mansions including the stately home of the Nicolay family (15 and 16th centuries), a fine piece of architecture whose beauty is impressive, in spite of bad damage caused by bombing in August 1944.

Without too much intensive industrial work, Bourg-Saint-Andéol has managed to keep a healthy and harmonious environment. The town offers ample hotel accommodation, reasonable priced restaurants, cafés, as well as a good choice of shops where you can find everything you need. Although the agriculture is very diverse, there is a significant vine-growing sector. Certain vineyards qualify for an official grading, and produce wine which is sold either under the superior labels of "Côtes du Rhône " or "Côtes du Vivarais" .

LITHIC MONUMENTS:

THE DOLMENS of Bourg St Andéol

Near Bourg St Andéol, the"Bois des Géantes" (Giants’ Wood), allows anyone who does not mind walking to take a fascinating journey through time, at the discovery of dolmens.

What is a dolmen?

It is a sepulchral chamber made of erect unhewn stones supporting a large flat stone as a roof.

Now, a dolmen generally looks like a huge stone table, but it used to be buried under a mound of stones and earth called a tumulus  or a barrow.

The sacred character of the monument is beyond doubt. It cannot have been done by people bereft of social cohesion and spirituality. The builders’ motive was probably to offer the deceased an eternal abode.

Through the wild scrub land of the Bois des Géantes a narrow path will lead you to seven dolmens quite close to each other but all different. They date from 3000 BC ( the Neolithic age) and some have suffered the ravages of time. They were classified as Historical Monuments in 1889

One of them, half collapsed, offers an unusual sight: It is flanked by a dry stone tower 12 feet high, with steps leading to the top. A legend says that to build the dolmen, a giant fairy named Velléda carried stones in her apron while her friends would sit spinning at the foot of the sacred mound.

The "BORIES"

Borie, Claparède, Capitelle : Three words for one thing: a dry stone hut once used as a tool shed in vineyards, or as a shelter by shepherds, who could sleep there on Summer nights, with their flocks nearby.

The bories have often been referred to as "Gauls’ huts "   but we know very little about their origin. The building of bories may well have started very long ago, with the beginning agriculture, when the ground had to be cleared of its numberless flat stones, but such a statement is only an assumption. We only know that their numbers greatly increased during the 18th and 19th centuries as vine growing was expanding.



The base of the building is either square or oblong or sometimes round. Its surface ranges from 40 to 120 square feet inside. The walls are made of dry flat stones, piled up in even rows, overlapping each other slightly so as to slope gently inside and end up in the shape of a dome. There is no framework, nor any cement. The lintel above the door is often made of wood. The door generally opens to the East to catch the rising sun, or sometimes to the South.

About thirty bories can be found in the Bourg St Andéol area. (Districts of Darbousset, La Quiria, Le Bois Redon) either in the vineyards, or half hidden in the woods.

FROM THE GORGES OF THE ARDECHE TO THE BANKS OF THE RHONE

In the surrounding countryside there is much scope for sight-seeing, in particular the Gorges of the Ardèche with its magnificent Pont d'Arc (a massive natural archway formed in the rock by the flow of the river below).A major discovery in the history of mankind was made in the area in 1994: La Grotte Chauvet, a cave with more than 300 splendid paintings and etchings drawn by man more than 30000 years ago. You cannot visit the cave, but an exhibition is visible in Vallon-Pont-d’Arc.

From the Pont-d’Arc to St Martin the Ardèche river follows its winding course through a limestone plateau in which it has dug an impressive canyon. It takes 8 hours at least to walk from one end to the other, and about 7 hours in a canoe, but you must allow two days if you want to make the most of the splendour of the site. The D290 tourist road overlooks the gorges. From the tops of the cliffs you can enjoy splendid views from 12 specially created panoramic stopping points.

At Sauze the valley widens, so does the river. The water runs smoothly towards the Rhone, forming here and there beautiful sand beaches. A paradise for holiday-makers!

Also of interest are the Grottoes of la Madeleine, St Marcel, Marzal and its prehistoric zoo, the medieval ruined village of St-Montan, the old church of Larnas (12th century), the Holiday Centre at Imbours and the immense wooded plateau of Laoul which stretches over five neighbouring parishes.

A little further on one comes to the town of Viviers which is also a Bishop's seat. There the Rhone passes through a narrow straight known as " Le Robinet de Donzère".

Elsewhere in the area the old church of La Garde-Adhémar, the castles of Grignan, Suze la Rousse and the Monastery of Notre-Dame d'Aiguebelle are all worth a visit.

 

BOURG ST ANDEOL

How to get there

A7 MOTORWAY :

exits:

Montélimar Sud (12 miles)

Bollène (10 miles)

By RAIL: (SNCF)

Pierrelatte (3 miles)

Montélimar(15 miles)

ROADS:

RN7, RN86, D4

By COACH :

Lines:

Montélimar - Avignon

Lalevade - Avignon

INFORMATION: