Aubais – Château, Chapel and Cultural Heritage

When choosing a stay in Aubais, it helps to distinguish between the different cultural and activity themes. They range from the architectural history of Château d’Aubais and the grounds of the Chapelle Saint-Nazaire-de-Marissargues to local stories and a horseback ride through the surrounding area. If you’re looking for a hotel in Aubais, these highlights can help you choose a destination that suits your travel interests.

Château d’Aubais: Reconstruction and listed status

Between 1680 and 1685, Château d’Aubais was rebuilt, incorporating a round corner tower from the earlier castle. The central pavilion, which houses the monumental staircase, is listed as a historic monument. This gives you two specific architectural points of reference: a building element linked to the earlier castle and the listed status of the central pavilion.

Chapelle Saint-Nazaire-de-Marissargues: Grounds and cemetery

The Chapelle Saint-Nazaire-de-Marissargues stands on grounds that have been in use since the 11th century. Their history includes a priory affiliated with Saint-Laurent d’Aigouze Abbey, a Carolingian church and a large cemetery. The cemetery contains 1,500 anthropomorphic graves carved into the rock. “Anthropomorphic” refers to their human-like shape; together with the precise number and their connection to the rock, this brings the archaeological focus into view.

A comparison over time shows how different these cultural themes are: the château was rebuilt between 1680 and 1685, while the chapel grounds have been in use since the 11th century. One focuses on the architectural history of a château, the other on the long history of a site shaped by religion and archaeology. This comparison can help you understand each place in terms of its particular historical focus.

Worship services and producers’ market

The Chapelle is still dedicated to Catholic worship. From October to April, Mass is celebrated there on the fourth Saturday of every month; dates and times may change. If you want to plan your visit around Mass, check the specific date in advance. This lets you take the site’s continuing religious use into account alongside its archaeological features.

Les Jeudis d’Aubais includes a producers’ market where local craftspeople and producers share their know-how. Unlike the architectural and religious themes, this one focuses on craftsmanship and production. The craftspeople and producers taking part may vary. This makes the market a cultural theme distinct from both the architectural history of the château and the religious use of the chapel.

Landscape and local stories

The La Roque d’Aubais horseback ride takes you through the garrigue and wooded areas around the village of Aubais. Its focus is on the landscape, setting it apart from the buildings and burial sites: rather than architecture or archaeological details, the emphasis is on the garrigue and woods. It offers a distinct activity for your travel plans alongside the cultural and historical themes.

The Biblioteca Albassiana presents a collection of local stories based mainly on the chronicle of Prion, assistant to the Marquis Charles De Baschi. The local heritage association looks after the Biblioteca. This storytelling perspective complements the themes of architecture, archaeological history and landscape with the tradition of local stories. If you’re choosing Aubais based on your cultural interests, it offers another way to discover the area alongside its buildings and religious site.

Discover more destinations: Bagard, Saint-Laurent-La-Vernède, Corbès, Saint-Maximin, Orthoux-Sérignac-Quilhan, Revens, Gaujac, Saint-Just-Et-Vacquières.

For an overview of the wider area: Gard.