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An undeniably charming village in the Drôme provençale region, nestled around its two bell towers, its basilica with its sober Cistercian architecture and its small communal church. Over the years, the village has retained its rural character.
Description
Here you'll find one of the few monasteries on our territory. When you see the basilica, you'll be able to tell you're in the right village. Take a look at our calendar: you don't want to miss a concert here. Or the llamas at the Lamazen stables.
The village of Bonlieu grew up around its monastery, still in operation today, whose basilica is part of the Provencal Romanesque movement. In the Middle Ages, Norbertines and, more recently, Premonstratensians occupied what was a Cistercian women's abbey founded in 1171 on land donated by the Countess of Marsanne. For a long time, the monastery operated a mill on the Roubion river, which only ceased operating in the 1960s. The mill produced walnut oil and flour.
Water was captured at Saint-Gervais and transported via a canal that siphoned under the riverbed. The precious liquid also fed the convent's laundry and irrigated the nuns' garden.
At the end of the Second World War, like La Laupie, Bonlieu experienced the Battle of Montélimar in August 1944. For a time, the village marked the front line between the Germans and the Americans. The village was deserted, becoming a veritable no-man's-land separating the protagonists.
Spoken languages
- French
Themes
- Historic patrimony
- Religious heritage
- Basilica
- Church
- Bell tower