Discover Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux: History and Tricastin

Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux offers travelers several clear points of interest: Roman and medieval architecture, collections on the history of Tricastin, themed city walks and regional products. If you are looking for a hotel in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, you can plan your stay around whether architecture, museum collections, exercise or regional specialties best match your interests.

Roman and Medieval Traces

The Roman wall stands in the Saint-Jean district. It is six meters high and the only surviving Roman wall built from large stone blocks in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux. Another historical landmark is the medieval rampart. It has been documented since the 12th century and is very well preserved to this day; several of its fortified gates remain and have retained their defensive character. The town’s history as an episcopal see is also part of this context: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux became the seat of a diocese in the Middle Ages.

The current bishop’s palace was built in the 17th century on the site of a medieval building destroyed during the Wars of Religion. The former cathedral became a church. It is marked by elements of ancient architecture and is considered one of the finest examples of Provençal Romanesque art; it was classified as a monument historique in 1841.

Architecture and Collections

The Hôtel de Narbone-Pellet dates mainly from the 15th and 16th centuries. Its design features elements of Late Gothic, the early Renaissance and the so-called Second Renaissance. Thus, this building brings together a dating spanning two centuries and three named stylistic influences.

The Musée d’Archéologie Tricastine presents the history of Tricastin from prehistory to the Middle Ages. Its collection includes a monumental stone Hebrew Holy Ark from the 15th century as well as Gallo-Roman funerary stelae from the 1st century. Alongside the broad time span, two different types of object are also in focus: a Holy Ark and funerary stelae.

City Walks and Exercise

The “De silhouettes en silhouettes” route leads through the picturesque lanes of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and takes in city walls, fountains, washhouses, listed buildings and part of the Promenade des Jardins, also known as the Coulée Verte. The archaeological and historical city walk also leads through Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux. Another option is the walk through the ancient city of Augusta Tricastinorum, also a city walk. Historical walks use explanatory panels installed on site to tell their story. The named walks focus on different things: the first explicitly includes lanes and buildings in its description, while the others highlight the archaeological, historical or ancient urban context.

The Voie verte in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux is used within the town for walking, jogging, cycling and rollerblading. It therefore offers a different focus for activity than the walks that take in historic sites: here, the emphasis is on four named forms of exercise, while the walks focus on the town’s history.

Regional Products

The Maison de la Truffe et du Tricastin presents black truffles from Tricastin as well as wines from the AOP Grignan-les-Adhémar. For travelers who also want to consider regional products when choosing where to stay, this focus adds a culinary dimension to the architecture and museum topics.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Martin-D'août, La Bâtie-Rolland, Combovin, Saint-Martin-En-Vercors, Saint-Rambert-D'albon, Crest, Sainte-Croix, Saint-Bardoux

For the broader travel overview: Drôme.