Saint-Chef heritage itinerary

© Emmanuelle Bebi-Hegoburu - Office de tourisme des Balcons du Dauphiné

Place de la Mairie
38890 Saint-Chef

Distance: 6Km
Durée: 2H

Less than an hour from Lyon, discover the historic center of Saint-Chef, with its abbey church and famous 12th-century Romanesque frescoes. It's also the village of Frédéric Dard and a land of Balmes Dauphinoises IGP wine.

Along the way, you'll come across some of Saint-Chef's finest treasures:

- The abbey church: the last legacy of the ancient abbey of Saint-Chef, founded in the 16th century by Theudère. Destroyed by barbarian raids in 890, it was rebuilt by Benedictine monks and from then on experienced remarkable growth. So much so that in the 11th century, the church was enlarged and, in the early 12th century, decorated with Romanesque frescoes (which can only be seen on guided tours (booking required)). The abbey then extended its patronage to a dozen priories and a hundred surrounding parishes. Abandoned and damaged during the French Revolution, the church was saved from the ravages of time and mankind by Prosper Mérimée, who listed it in the first inventory of Monuments Historiques in 1840.

- The museum: presenting the history of the village and local traditions, as well as works by Frédéric Dard and Louis Seigner.

- Free access to the medieval garden: find out which plants were used in the Middle Ages and what they were used for, thanks to explanatory panels.

- Château Tessier de Savy: listed on the Inventaire Supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques (ISMH), access to the gardens and chapel (open July-August and on European Heritage Days).

- The arboretum: take a shady break and try to find the names of the trees around you (check your answers on the explanatory panels).

- IGP des Balmes Dauphinoises wine: as you pass through the town, meet one of the winegrowers who perpetuate this wine culture imported by Benedictine monks in the Middle Ages.

- And much more...