The forest of Bonnevaux is a historic site

The forest of Bonnevaux was apparently baptized of this name by the monks cistercians come in 1119 to found an abbey upstream small valley bordering the hill of Girey. The monks there arranged many ponds and strongly contributed to the local economy.

The importance acquired gradually by their abbey measures in particular by the number of daughters abbeys rested by their monks in the following decades: Léoncel in Drôme, Le Thoronet in the Var, Mazan in Ardeche and Sénanque in Vaucluse, Sylvanès in Aveyron.

The abbey was closed with the Revolution then completely dismantled during the half-century which follows. There remain nothing about it today but some foundations in the river and a cross commemorative posed in 1933 by the monks of Tamié (photo, taken opposite in front of the castle of Bonnevaux).

The old part of the Castle of Bonnevaux is set up out of cob (raw ground) and dates from XVIIè century.

It was used formerly as relay of hunting, before a famous Lyons surgeon, Dr. Bern, does not acquire it and y adds to the end of XIXè its vastest building, which now places 5 rooms of hosts behind its turrets.

In the east of the garden an oratory built in an assembly of trunks and branches hides split, whose age remains dubious. It is in this place that the departures of hunting were blessed.
 

The Castle of Bonnevaux reserves its installations to you:

• Fourteen hectares of private forests and park
  A private swimming pool of 9 m out of 4,5 m
  Garden furniture and deckchairs
  Table-tennis, badmington, petanque (bowls)
  Two terraces equipped with tables, chairs
  

In addition you find there several leisure activities, for instance:

• Visit the traditional buildings made out of cob
  Introduction to PC and Internet
  Horse-riding, from an hour to several days
  Fishing in the ponds
  Walking

You can also visit the area :

• Castles and their history
  Walking in Vercors
  Visits of museums
  Walking and wine tasting in some of the most famous vineyards along the River Rhone (Côtes Roties, St-Joseph...)

Copyright Faredo 2003-2004

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