Beaumont-lès-Valence (Drôme)

Since the city of Valence was never was given the right to hold services, the Protestants gathered for worship east of Valence, in Beaumont-lès-Valence.

The Beaumont Church was in turns a Catholic one and a Protestant one, nowadays it is both

The original church was built in the 15th century for the Benedictine. From the early days of the Reformation, it was used as a temple.

In 1562, the Baron des Adrets, François de Beaumont, looted and burned down the sanctuary. The Protestants then built a new temple.

After the Edict of Nantes in 1598, the Benedictine church was given back to the Catholics. In 1665 the roof and steeple collapsed. In 1716, it was used as a “Desert” worship place.

Shared by two faiths

After the Revolution and the Concordat in 1806, the edifice was awarded to the Protestants and the Catholics under the simultaneum principle. A wall partitioned the church in two, the choir and apse being attributed to the Catholics, the nave and portal to the Protestants.

Such is the present-day situation.

Beaumont-lès-Valence (Drôme)

Beaumont-lès-Valence

Itinerary to this location

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Bibliography

  • Books
    • DUBIEF Henri et POUJOL Jacques, La France protestante, Histoire et Lieux de mémoire, Max Chaleil éditeur, Montpellier, 1992, rééd. 2006, p. 450
    • LAURENT René, Promenade à travers les temples de France, Les Presses du Languedoc, Millau, 1996, p. 520
    • REYMOND Bernard, L’architecture religieuse des protestants, Labor et Fides, Genève, 1996

Associated tours

  • Surviving Temples built before the Revolution
    Some regions escaped destruction due to the late incorporation into France as was the case for Alsace because the Westphalia treaties specifically mentioned that the Edict of Fontainebleau should not...

Associated notes

  • The Edict of Nantes (1598)
    This was Henri IV’s major achievement : the terms of this edict ensured the peaceful coexistence of Catholics and Protestants and brought a stop to all hostilities in France after 36 years...

  • The French Concordat
    The Concordat with the Organic Articles, ruled the organisation of Protestant as well as Catholic churches. It did not comprise any restrictive measures, and pastors were to be paid by...