Balazuc (; oc, Balasuc) is a commune in the

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. The village has been labelled a "Village of Character" by the Departmental Committee of Tourism. It is a member of

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France ''Les Plus Beaux Villages de France'' (meaning “the most beautiful villages of France”) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of Septem ...

(The most beautiful villages in France) Association. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Balazucains'' or ''Balazucaines''.

Geography

Balazuc is located some 16 km south of

Aubenas Aubenas (; oc, Aubenàs) is a commune in the southern part of the Ardèche department in Southern France. It is the seat of several government offices. The mountainous and rugged countryside is popular for vacation homes. The river Ardèche fl ...

just east of Uzer. Aubenas Aerodrome is just north of the commune. Access to the commune is by the D579 road from

Vogüé Vogüé (; oc, Vogüer) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Geography Vogüé is located along the banks of the river Ardèche. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list o ...

in the north which passes through the commune east of the village and continues to Pradons in the south. The D294 branches off the D579 in the commune and goes west to the village. Apart from the village there are also the hamlets of Servière, Translatour, Le Retourtier, and Les Louanes in the commune. The commune is forested in the west and east with large areas of farmland in the centre.Google Maps
/ref> The Ardèche river flows through the commune and the village from north to south where it forms part of the southern border before continuing south to join the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

Pont-Saint-Esprit Pont-Saint-Esprit (, literally "Holy Spirit Bridge"; oc, Lo Pònt Sant Esperit) is a commune in the Gard département in southern France. It is situated on the river Rhône and is the site of a historical crossing, hence its name. The Ardèche ...

. Numerous tributaries rise on both banks of the Ardèche and flow into the river including the ''Ruisseau de Mariou'', the ''Ruisseau de Chadenas'', the ''Ruisseau de Chastagnon'', the ''Ruisseau de Tison'', and the ''Ruisseau des Costes''.

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

For millennia Balazuc has been the site of a ford on the Ardèche river which was a Gallic stronghold. The name ''Balazuc'' comes from the name ''Baladunum'' of ''bal'' meaning "rock" and "dunum" or "fortified height" in Gallic. Balazuc has the remains of

Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While ...

men who hunted

ibex An ibex (plural ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa ...

there over 50,000 years ago at the beginning of the last ice age. Farmers arrived in the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...

period around 3000 BC. to raise goats and sheep, cultivate the bottom of the depressions, and place their dead in mass graves in stone coffins. In the

Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

, around 750 BC., the ford below the village was used. The

Gauls The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...

, for whom there is no trace, gave it its name: ''Baladunum''. The

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

s cultivated the ''Plain des Salles'' where the great Roman road passed between the

and Nîmes. An early Christian sarcophagus has been found whose high reliefs include biblical scenes (a facsimile is displayed in the town hall). In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

the village had a church and a castle from the 11th to 13th centuries in an enclosure which dates them. The castle was originally built in the 12th century and greatly enlarged in the 13th century with a square

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in ...

. The ramparts, keep, noble houses, and fortified houses are well preserved. The village underwent an evolution of houses across the centuries but retained its originality and the medieval character of the village with its narrow streets and its "callades". Pons de Balazuc, the son of Gérard de Balazuc, was one of the first known lords. He went on the

first crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ...

and was killed just before the capture of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in 1099 at the

Siege of Arqa Arqa ( ar, عرقا; akk, 𒅕𒋡𒋫, translit=Irqata) is a Lebanese village near Miniara in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon, 22 km northeast of Tripoli, near the coast. The town was a notable city-state during the Iron Age. The city of ...

(at the archaeological site of Tel Arqa) near

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in t ...

(now in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 377 inhabitants. Mmbalazuc

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

*A Chateau is registered as an historical monument. *The picturesque Medieval Village from the 11th and 13th centuries *A copy of the Balazuc sarcophagus, an early Christian sarcophagus from the end of the 4th or early 5th century found in the hamlet of Salles, visible under the Town Hall *A Fortified House from the 13th century *The Viel Audon village cooperative

Religious heritage

*The Romanesque Church of Saint Madeleine (11th century). is registered as an historical monument. The windows of the Church are by the painter Jacques Yankel. The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects: **2 Processional Crosses (19th century) **A Statue: Virgin Mary (19th century) **A Painting: Crucifixion (19th century) **The Dome of an old

Tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...

in the gallery (18th century) **A Statue: Virgin and child (19th century) **A Painting: Rosary (19th century) **A Statue: Virgin and childMinistry of Culture, Palissy *A Funeral chapel in ruins from the 13th century *The Church of Saint Mary Magdelene from the late 19th century

Environmental heritage

*The Barasses climbing site *The Ardèche Valley and the Gras de Chauzon are classified as a

Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique A Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique (Natural zone of ecological interest, fauna and flora), abbreviated as ZNIEFF, is a type of natural environment recognized by France. The inventory of a ZNIEFF area is an invent ...

(Natural area of ecological interest for flora and fauna). *The middle Ardèche Valley and its tributaries are classified as a

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

site of Community importance

Cultural events

The Roche-Haute Association since 1982 has organised concerts and exhibitions of paintings in the Romanesque church including paintings by: Guillaume Beaugé, Jacques Dromart, and Erik Levesque.

Balazuc Picture Gallery

File:Balazuc109.jpg, Church of Saint Marie-Madeleine File:Balazuc111.jpg, The Church rear File:Balazuc115.jpg, The new Church File:Balazuc119.jpg, The new Church interior File:Balazuc - pont sur l'Ardèche.jpg, The bridge on the

Ardèche Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Guilhem de Balaun Guillem (or Guilhem) de Balaun (fl. bef. 1223) was the castellan of Balazuc and a troubadour from the region around Montpellier. In his ''vida'', which has the characteristics of a '' razo'' because it sets the background for the song ''Lo vers mo ...

Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

of Balazuc and

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; ...

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobai ...

in the 13th century. *

John M. Merriman John Mustard Merriman (June 15, 1946 – May 22, 2022) was an American historian specializing in modern French history. He was a Charles Seymour Professor of History at Yale University. Early life and education Merriman was born on June 15, 1 ...

, Professor of French History and Geography at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

(USA), has written a book on the History of Balazuc: ''The Stones of Balazuc'' (Norton Press). *Aimé Bocquet, pre-historian, in 2011 published a synthetic history of the village since ancient times focusing on life in the

based on a tax document dated 1464: ''Balazuc, medieval village of Vivarais'' (Éditions Plumes d'Ardèche) .

References

{{Authority control Communes of Ardèche Plus Beaux Villages de France