Châteaudouble

Châteaudouble, a village rich in history, invites you to discover the secrets of its beautiful castle.

Châteaudouble lies at an altitude of 380 m, on the western flank of the mountain range that forms the eastern edge of the Valence plain. Châteaudouble has been known since 1120, when it was mentioned in the Cartulaire de l'Église de Romans. Castrum Duplum" became "Castrum Duplex" a hundred years later, then "Chastel-Double" in 1400. During the French Revolution, the word "château", too reminiscent of feudal times, was banned, and for a few years the site was called "Pont-Marette".

Here, as in many parts of our region, was originally a priory dedicated to Saint Augustin. It belonged to the congregation of Saint Ruf, one of the oldest in the country, dating back to the 12th century.

As early as 1159, the Emperors of Germany, whose sovereignty extended to the east of the Rhône, granted their rights over Châteaudouble to the Bishops of Valence, while ownership of the land was attributed to the Counts of Valentinois, having previously been included in those of Royans. In 1390, however, for reasons that have not been recorded, Châteaudouble passed to the Grolée family, before becoming part of the French crown in 1419.

From that time until the Revolution of 1789, the mandement passed into the possession of a dozen successive seigneurial families. For three and a half centuries, the names of various nobles were recorded, and in "this series" appears that of Diane de Poitiers (1550), and even that of a foreigner, an Italian colonel by the name of Jules Centurion.

For a long time, the mandement comprised four parishes: Châteaudouble, Le Chaffal, Combovin and Peyrus.