Le Poët-Laval

Le Poët-Laval : Listed as "one of the most beautiful villages of France " with its castle, the chapel of St Jean-des-Commandeurs, the Commandery, streets and alleys, the Callée, Centers Yvon Morin, Museum of the Dauphiné Protestantism, ...

The history of Le Poët-Laval is closely linked to that of the religious order of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, which developed in the Holy Land during the Crusades and has continued to this day under the name of the Order of Malta.
The Hospitaller order established a commandery on this hilltop site in the 12th century. The original complex comprised a fortified castle and chapel, around which a walled village grew during the Middle Ages. Besieged several times during the Wars of Religion, the village was abandoned at the end of the 19th century in favor of Gougne, located in the valley where the town hall and school are located today. Partly rebuilt in the 1960s under the impetus of art lover Yvon Morin, the site is home to the medieval château, restored in 1996 with the help of the historic monuments department, the former Saint-Jean-des-Commandeurs chapel, the Musée du Protestantisme dauphinois - housed in one of the only 17th-century temples preserved in France - and the Yvon Morin art center, which hosts numerous exhibitions.

Guided tours available with the association des amis du vieux Poët-Laval: www.amisvieuxpoetlaval.fr