Church of Saint-Vincent

From the ecclesiastical point of view, the village is a foundation (before the 10th century) of the church of Viviers on the former Gallo-Roman estate. Saint-Vincent was the seat of a barony with jurisdiction over the surrounding parishes. In 1020 (?) the canons of Viviers exchanged with the monks of Cluny, the church of Saint-Vincent-de-Barrès for that of Meysse.

About this building

Single-ship elongated plan church. A bell tower surmounts the entrance facade; Sober and simple Romanesque architecture. The church stands above ancient medieval fortifications.

Key Features

  • Architecture

Visitors information

  • Level access to the main areas
  • Parking within 250m
  • Café within 500m
  • Muddy boot friendly

Other nearby buildings

Flickr/jean-louis Zimmermann

Notre-Dame d'Aiguebelle Abbey

Notre-Dame d'Aiguebelle Abbey is a Cistercian abbey founded in 1137. The abbey reached its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, then declined with the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). The abbey was heavily restored during the 19th century but has retained, despite some demolitions, most of the buildings of the medieval convent. The abbey is now known to be the site of production of a brandy, made according to an ancient craft recipe developed by Cistercian monks.

Wikimedia Commons

Le Calvaire

It is a certain Malmazet, a Protestant surgeon of his state, who in 1732, had this calvary erected. Afflicted by a serious illness, he vowed to convert to Catholicism once he was cured. He then made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, from which he brought back a marvellous memory. The disposition of the promontory between the Volane and its tributary the Voltour seemed to him to be favourable for the reconstitution of the Calvary of Jerusalem. From afar, the aedicule has retained its elegance. Every Good Friday, the parishioners perform the Way of the Cross beautifully illustrated by a local artist. The Calvary, damaged during the Revolution, was rebuilt in 1863.

Wikimedia Commons

Valence Cathedral

The oldest monument in Valencia, it was consecrated on 5 August 1095 by Pope Urban II. Destroyed during the Wars of Religion, it was rebuilt in the 17th century and its bell tower, which threatened after being struck by lightning, was replaced in the 19th century. The architecture of this cathedral makes it similar to other monuments in Auvergne and Velay, especially the polychrome stone decorations. It has an ambulatory allowing the passage of pilgrims and confirming its role as a stopover church on the road to Santiago de Compostela. The monument to Pope Pius VI, who died in Valencia in 1799, a prisoner of the Directory, has been placed in the heart. It has been classified as a historical monument since 1862