The village of Les Vans, the principal settlement of the canton of the same name in the south of the Ardèche, lies at the centre of a basin near the Chassezac river. Dominant to the south is the Serre de Barre, the last western summit of the Cévennes du Bas-Vivarais range. In 2001, Les Vans became the "gateway town" of the Monts d'Ardèche Natural Regional Park. The village is a tourist haven in summer; a traditional market is held every Saturday morning. A night-time craft market is held on summer Tuesdays at the Place de la Fontaine. Many activities are available in the vicinity of Les Vans: walking, climbing, caving, horse riding, canyoning, swimming, fishing and kayaking in the Chassezac gorges.
History
Les Vans was a dependency of the Abbey of Saint-Gilles. The town became Protestant in the 16th century; in 1629 it returned to Catholicism, and its fortifications were dismantled. On the death of Professor Ollier, who lived near the village church, a world-wide subscription paid for the erection of two monumental bronze statues, created by Boucher. One at Les Vans on Grande Place Ollier, the other at Place Ollier in Lyon. The Vanséens' cunning preserved the first from the covetousness of the Germans during the Second World War, though the second was melted down by the Wehrmacht in 1941. In 1972, the commune of Les Vans amalgamated with those of Brahic, Chassagnes and Naves.
Les Vans is the starting point of many excursions and walks in the Cévennes Vivarais region
The hamlet of Naves
Medieval village, ranked among the most beautiful villages in France and called "a characteristic village of the Ardèche". Naves had its moment of glory in the 19th century with the development of sericulture and silkwork breeding. This activity declined bit by bit and fell into disuse. The village, its church and its ancient alleys were the subject of important renovations in the mid-1980s.
The hermitage of Saint-Eugène was built on a limestone cliff overlooking the valley of the Chassezac and Chassagnes.
Some years ago it was the subject of restoration which brought it back to life after more than two centuries of decay, returning it to something like its original purpose. Notable on this site are some very fine reproduction Byzantine frescoes which have recently been produced, free of charge, by an iconographic painter.
The hamlet of Brahic
The hamlet of Brahic nestles on the south face of the Serre de Barre. Sights:
The ancient village of Brahic
Romanesque church of Notre Dame de l'Assomption with its arcaded tower
Louis Xavier Edouard Léopold Ollier, inventor of orthopaedics and reconstructive surgery, was born in Les Vans
Léonce Vieljeux, Mayor of La Rochelle, reserve Colonel and network agent of the Allied Resistance, was born in Les Vans; he was executed at Struthof in 1944. The college at Les Vans today bears his name.
