May 29, 2019 La Garde-Adhémar and Grignan

Heading north today toward some "Plus Beaux Villages de France" - La Garde-Adhémar and Grignan. Both are "perched" villages sitting atop outcroppings of rock.

We haven't spent much time going north along the Rhone, so this has been on Dave's list for some time.

It's only a 44 minute drive, in very pleasant countryside to get to La Garde-Adhémar, which like many villages in the area, rises from the valley on an rocky spur.

La Garde-Adhémar - I didn't remember the clouds being so dramatic. The church sits above a beautiful medicinal garden just below the city walls

Retired Roman soldiers settled the valley below this outcropping in the wide valley where wine grapes were grown among other occupations. As times became more dangerous in the middle ages, people began to move up onto the calcareous plateau for safety. There were already protective walls in the 11th century and the castrum inside the walls became known as La Garde.  In the 13th century, when the Lords of Adhémar consolidated power, more people moved up from the valley into the safety of the walled town which necessitated the building of a second wall to enclose the new area. Valley dwellings and buildings were abandoned, ruined and disappeared. The town continued to have a protective rather than defensive character.

the stones of Adhémar

along the outside of the city wall

Buildings on a large square in the center of Adhémar

That is, the houses, buildings, and population were concerned with daily life rather than weaponry. The town continued to keep its medieval town plan even as folks moved back to the valley as farmers. The population of the town dropped to 500 and many buildings were abandoned and ruined. Today the population is just over 1000 and residents are working to save the abandoned buildings and spruce up the town.

modern tucked into old - the new city hall

It's too windy for most folks to eat outside today.

heading toward the church 

Though the day is sunny, the wind is blowing strong with gusts up to 50 miles an hour. We're wearing warmer clothes and I'm wearing my raincoat/windbreaker.

Chris, Ron, and Lynn crossing from parking lot headed for the town wall gate

We were able to drive to the top of the of the rocky outcropping and park just outside the city gates. The streets are a mix of teeth-chattering cobbles and blacktop. "You are here" maps are posted frequently and allow us to ramble the few village streets at our leisure.

There are a few people in a small restaurant, and we saw one family with several children picnicking near the public school, but otherwise, the town was pretty quiet, with only a few other tourists like us braving the wind.

another empty restaurant

First stop for me, was the public bathroom near the church. Just to the edge of the wall behind the church was a fantastic medicinal herb garden planted in the spaces between the two defensive walls.

The view was incredibly beautiful and calming

I'm not sure if you can tell from this photo just how hard the wind was blowing. These grasses were bent to the ground in the gusts of wind

Chris in the medicinal garden

view overlooking the garden

steps leading out of the garden

This garden also provided a view over the extensive valley of farms and river below us.

It's hard to ignore the cooling towers or the industrial nature of the land beyond the river

We visited the 11th century Romanesque church, Saint Michel,

Saint Michel

Saint Michel seen from the medicinal garden

which has 3 apsidial chapels, the center of which houses the main altar.

the inside is tall!

The height of the nave is unusually tall. It is sparsely decorated, but on the back wall is a memorial to those killed in WWI and WWII. We have seen more of these plaques in churches in Provence.

I also saw this poem posted next to an altar where one could light candles. I thought the sentiment was worth remembering.

Prayer

Lord, May this candle that I have lit be light so that You enlighten me in my difficulties and my decisions.

Let it be fire so that you burn in me all egotism, pride and impurity.

Let it be flame so that You rewarm my heart.

I can’t stay long in your church.

In leaving this candle burn, it’s a little of me that I wish to give You.

Help me prolong my prayer in the activities of the day.

Amen

Wandering the streets is such a pleasant thing to do. There are beautiful corners everywhere.

these hand-painted tiled street signs were all over town

Of course, I'm enamoured with roses against stone over doorways

another rose photo, sigh

sign in a shop: The most beautiful memories are created around a table. So true.

The village does have an elementary school and as I passed by, I noticed a multitude of American flags standing in a small pail on the window sill of one of the classrooms. I wonder what those are for.

classroom window in Adhémar

We had noticed a small park with a larger version of the war memorial just as we were coming to the top of town. We parked and found a bench that was protected from the wind. Lunch was quite tasty on our bench with a view of the valley below.

We sat on a bench next to this garden to eat our lunch.

We traveled a few kilometers east to Grignan,

a village with an intact château with furnishings.

Grignan and its château

A quick stop at the tourist office provides us maps and the possibility of driving me to the top, but didn't tell us how tricky the driving up would be.

lower city, near the tourist office

driving up

hôtel de ville on the way up

We hope this isn't a two way road - the car hardly fits between the houses

almost there

There was a handicapped parking space where we could park for a short time while we got the chariot out and organized entry to the château.

After much difficulty, I was let in a vehicle gate with Chris where I could sit in the courtyard to wait while Dave and Ron parked the car at the bottom of the hill. Once back, they toured the castle while I found a sunny corner out of the wind and stitched.

Chris at the entrance to the château

This courtyard also has bleacher seating installed with a temporary stage.

to the left, taking up the entire courtyard were bleachers where men were installing lights for performances. this porch would be the stage.

This château was restored in the 20th century by Marie Fontaine.

The upper level of the château has a broad terrace overlooking the town. This terrace is also the roof of the church which is built into the rock underneath the château.

the terrace of the château

view from château terrace

view over the town

Rooms were furnished so you could have a sense of their use.

grand entry

self-explanatory

Once the crew had finished in the château, we headed back down the hill, stopping first at the church whose left side wall formed part of the château wall and whose roof was the terrace in front of the château, Pretty daring design. Here's what Saint Saveur said about itself.

this is the parterre (the square in front of the church) seen from the terrace above. At the upper end on the stone platform is the cross seen in the photo below

the ironwork cross in front of the church

Inside the church was the private balcony and entrance from the terrace allowing the Lord to attend services without mingling with the townspeople.

can you see the little platform way up at the top?

This is the balcony that connects to the château so the Lord can enter and leave church without seeing any of  his people

The church is famous as the burial place of Madame de Sévigné, a 17th century aristocrat famous for her witty and lively letters written to her daughter, the wife of the Count of Grignan.

The church has a classic front, redone to match the style of the château, while the interior is Gothic.

Façade of Saint Saveur

nave of Saint Saveur - there are no windows on the left side as that is the side built into the rock

I was able to wander down through the town with Chris, Ron, and Dave. We meandered through narrow streets and passageways to get to the car parked just outside the old town.

Chris standing at the end of the parterre

beautiful yellow roses on the terrace of a house

roses climbing the wall near the bottom of town

We were quite late getting home tonight (after 7), so we had leftover Beef Burgundy and ratatouille, followed by salad, with a cheese course following. We ended with bread pudding with whiskey sauce and ice cream. We finished dinner with a fortified red wine from Rasteau and dark chocolate. We all slept well this night.