Autichamp

A village with Gallic and Roman origins. The Middle Age castle which belonged to the lords of Chabrillan was inherited in 1350 by the Beaumont family who stayed there until the French Revolution. He was then occupied during WW2.

Alticampus, the high fields ... Perched on a very old road connecting Crest to Montélimar, Autichamp hosts in the eleventh century a fortress and a Benedictine priory, probably destroyed during the wars of religion and today disappeared.
Inside the rampart that protected the village, the 14th century Saint-Sebastien church today retains only its curious bell tower which, every day at noon, perpetuating a secular tradition, an Autichampaise draws the bell.
The castle of medieval origin is property of lords of Chabrillan, then around 1350 of the family of Beaumont, who become Marquis d'Autichamp and stay there until the Revolution. At the Renaissance, they are built luxury gardens hanging below the village.
150m long, supported by vaulted walls, they were fed by a system of pipelines bringing water from the sources of the village. They are now converted into vegetable gardens, divided into private plots. These terraced gardens are still an original heritage for this small hilltop village, which has kept an interesting authenticity.
The view of the Saôu massif is worth the detour!
To see: the calade, the fountains, the hanging gardens, the Romanesque bridge.