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Remains of the Royal Bastide

The Bastide Royal was created in 1284 by an act of feudal association between King Philippe III le Hardi and the Abby of Mazon. This act installed the king's jurisdiction over all of Bas Vivarais or present southern Ardèche, and created a new city with its ramparts, angled towers, and fortified gates ready for war and adorned with the emblem or blazon of the city. The former house of the king is where the Mayor's offices are located today (below the Hall of Justice you can visit the former prisons).