Montbrison-Sur-Lez: Hiking Trail and Heritage

Montbrison-Sur-Lez offers two different starting points for planning a trip: the La Viale hiking trail and the historic sites of St-Blaise. La Viale begins in the village; the Prieuré St-Blaise and the Eglise St Blaise provide a cultural focus. When planning your stay, you can decide whether to focus on the route, the history of the buildings, or both. For planning purposes, you can consider three questions separately: approximately how long does La Viale take, which historic sites interest you, and what visitor information applies to each specific location?

Hiking on La Viale

La Viale starts in Montbrison-Sur-Lez and is classified as an easy hiking route. The trail is 10 kilometres long; the stated duration is approximately 2 hours and 43 minutes, with an ascent of 340 metres. The route crosses the Mediterranean foothills of the Montagne de la Lance above the Valréas plain. As trail conditions can change, please check them before setting out.

For planning purposes, you can consider distance, time and ascent separately: the 10 kilometres indicate the distance, the approximate duration gives you a timeframe, and 340 metres describes the climb. Together, these figures convey the scale of the hike without specifying an exact individual walking time.

Prieuré and Eglise St Blaise

The Prieuré St-Blaise is a 12th-century Cluniac priory and is classified as a historic monument. Its construction period and classification refer to different aspects: the first places the priory in time, while the second indicates its monument status. The priory chapel is open year-round; as visitor arrangements may change, check with the local council for current information.

The Eglise St Blaise was built from 1787 to August 1790 and blessed on 9 January 1791. The bell “Claire Immaculée” was blessed on 18 July 1875 and remains in an annex of the church. Plans to build a bell tower were not carried out at the end of the 19th century, which is why the bell remained there. The bell was restored in 1987. The timeline runs from the 12th-century priory to the late-18th-century church and then to the 19th-century bell.

Visitor Information

Information updated on 10 December 2020 states that the Eglise St Blaise is accessible daily year-round and recommends checking with the mairie. Daily access applies to the church; the priory chapel has its own separate information, stating that it is open year-round and advising visitors to check with the local council. If you plan to visit both sites, follow the information provided for each one.

A notice from 2020 lists guided tours among the activities of Montbrison Archéologie Culture et Tourisme (MACT). As the current programme should be confirmed before planning, check with MACT for the tours scheduled at that time.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Rambert-D'albon, Jaillans, La Motte-Chalancon, Séderon, Le Chaffal, Soyans, Châtillon-En-Diois, Saint-Julien-En-Quint

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