As early as 1541, the Reformation took root in Valence within academic circles. Bishop Jean de Monluc proved tolerant, and a Protestant church was established in 1558. A pastor was appointed in 1560.
The Order of Saint-Ruf was among the wealthiest in Avignon in the thirteenth century. Driven out by the Albigensians, the monks settled in Valence. In the sixteenth century, during the Wars of Religion, they took refuge in the monastery of L’Épervière, but the buildings were set ablaze by soldiers of the Protestant faction. They subsequently established themselves at the priory of Saint-Jacques.
In 1702, the monks of Saint-Ruf built an abbey and a richly decorated Baroque chapel: stucco floral garlands in the nave, trompe-l’œil cornices, and a gilded “glory” (an ornament composed of radiating golden beams with a triangle at its centre symbolising the presence of God) on the ceiling above the choir, among other features.
In the mid-eighteenth century, when the Abbot of Saint-Ruf sought to reform the order due to perceived laxity in piety, the canons entered into conflict with him. A lawsuit ensued, which would last forty years. The Council of State dissolved the order in 1773. The buildings were subsequently decommissioned.
During the Revolution, the Saint-Ruf chapel was converted into a municipal granary. Later restored to host political meetings, it became a “Temple of Reason” in 1794. The chapel then served as a lodge for the Freemasons.
In 1801, under the Concordat system established by Bonaparte, the chapel was assigned to Reformed worship.
Its seventeenth-century interior decoration has been preserved to this day: wood panelling, gilding, and stained glass. The building was listed as a Historic Monument in 1921.
