Balazuc

Balazuc is an Ardèche village of about 390 inhabitants, about ten kilometres from Vogüé and about twenty from Aubenas, above the Ardèche river. It is among the Most Beautiful Villages of France. Its name comes from a Gaulish term, Baladunum, meaning a fortified height. Traces of occupation there go back to prehistory, including the Neanderthal period. The village mainly developed from the eleventh to the thirteenth century, around a strategic defensive site.

The houses are tiered around the castle and its fortifications, in a maze of narrow lanes, vaulted passages and steps called calades. The Romanesque church of Notre-Dame preserves elements from the eleventh and thirteenth centuries and houses stained glass by the artist Yankel. Under the town hall an early Christian sarcophagus is displayed. At the foot of the village, after the bridge, you can reach the hamlet of Vieil-Audon, rebuilt and run cooperatively. The best overall view is from the opposite bank of the river.

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