Jasseron: Hiking and Heritage

Jasseron combines hiking routes with tangible traces of its history. The Notre-Dame-des-Conches walking loop starts in Jasseron and is 8.9 kilometres long; another route leads to the source of the Jugnon and the remains of the Poype. Other sights include the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the feudal château and the Notre-Dame-des-Conches chapel. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Jasseron, these different highlights can help you plan your outings around hiking, church art and medieval themes.

Hiking and landscape

The Notre-Dame-des-Conches route is an 8.9-kilometre walking loop starting in Jasseron. Its length and loop format give you concrete points of reference for planning a day of hiking. The second route is called Saint-Maurice et la source du Jugnon and leads to the source of the Jugnon and the remains of the Poype. This gives you a clear distinction when choosing: a specific distance is given for Notre-Dame-des-Conches, while the named destinations on Saint-Maurice et la source du Jugnon point to a spring and a historic landscape feature. If you plan your outings around specific destinations, you can choose the second route; if you prefer a walking loop of a known length, the first offers 8.9 kilometres.

The Poype south of Jasseron is surrounded by a ditch; four earthen ramparts enclose a flat central area. This arrangement makes its shape easy to picture: the ditch forms the outer boundary, while the four ramparts enclose the centre. Possible former functions include a military position or a place of worship. Its form and interpretation thus raise two different questions: how the site was designed and what it may have been used for.

Church art and history

The Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste offers culturally minded travellers two specific art-historical points of interest. Its Gothic portal dates from the early 16th century. The church also houses a Vierge au manteau from the late 15th or early 16th century, depicting 26 protected figures. The dates are close, but the details differ: the portal is dated to the early 16th century, while the Vierge dates back as far as the late 15th century. Historically, the church was connected to Saint-Claude Abbey through the Prior of Jasseron. Church art and ecclesiastical history thus provide two distinct perspectives on the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

Castle remains and an early feudal settlement

The feudal château can be viewed from two different perspectives: its surviving structure and its historical role. Today, only one tower of the 13th-century château remains visible. The remains of the Château de Jasseron have been listed as historic monuments since 22 February 1927. The château also became the centre of a châtellenie. This historical role complements the view of the surviving structure, represented by the one visible tower.

Another trace of history lies in the hamlet of Le Prieuré, where the remains of an early feudal settlement can be found. They are also listed as a historic monument, since 17 February 1984. The two listings refer to different remains: the château remains in one case, and the early feudal settlement at Le Prieuré in the other. This makes it possible to distinguish the historical traces by what they relate to.

Notre-Dame-des-Conches

The present-day Notre-Dame-des-Conches chapel dates from 1839 and stands on the edge of Jasseron’s municipal area, directly on the border with Drom. Its history also includes pilgrimages that drew large crowds in the 1930s. The date of construction and the history of the pilgrimages mark different periods: the chapel dates from the 19th century, while the major pilgrimages took place in the 1930s.

Discover more destinations: Chanoz-Châtenay, Ardon, Saint-Didier-De-Formans, Servignat, Cormoranche-sur-Saône, Sainte-Euphémie, Pont-D’ain, Saint-Didier-sur-Chalaronne.

For the broader travel overview: Ain.