The next town of importance reached is Valence, which, however, is not very rich in architectural subjects. The cathedral (St Apollinaire) is of the twelfthcentury, and shews some special features indicative of the influence of the style of Auvergne, such as an arcade on the outside of the nave, with alternate round and straight sided arches. The caps of the nave piers are very Corinthian in character, and the roof is a tunnel vault. The apse is round, and is strengthened with buttresses in the form of small shafts, a feature very common in Auvergne. But this and the other churches have all been reconstructed in Renaissance times. The Maison-des-Têtes ([Fig. 41]), near the Place des Clercs is a well preserved and telling specimen of a florid domestic façade of 1534.
FIG. 41. MAISON-DES-TETES, VALENCE.
In descending the Rhone the traveller cannot fail to notice that the precipitous mountains which bound the plain on the west side of the river are frequently crowned with the shattered remains of mediæval castles. Of these one of the most striking is the Castle of Crussol ([Fig. 42]) opposite Valence. This great castle, now reduced to a mere fragmentary heap of ruins, was formerly the stronghold of the family of Crussol, Ducs d’Uzès. It forms a fine feature in the landscape, and commands a splendid view of the course of the Rhone and the valley of the Isère, with the Alps to the eastward. But it is now so ruined that a closer inspection is somewhat disappointing to the architect.
A few miles lower down the very interesting ruins of the Monastery of Cruas are seen on the same side of the river. This may be conveniently reached by the railway on that side, or from Montélimar. The latter course forms a beautiful drive, without taking the traveller going south far from his direct line. Crossing the Rhone by the bridge of boats not far from the station, the ruins of what once was the powerful castle of Rochemaur meet the view, crowning the rocky height in front, and extending great walls of enceinte down to the village at the base. The detached tower forming the keep, which could only be approached by a draw-bridge, now stands a shattered ruin on its isolated peak.
FIG. 42. CASTLE OF CRUSSOL.
A drive of a few miles along a level road, above which on the left rise great masses of basaltic rock forming fantastic figures not unlike the ruins we have just passed, brings us to the village of Cruas, where we discover two architectural subjects of some importance. On the hill above the village stand the ruins of the ancient monastery, now greatly dilapidated, and having the space between the walls choked up with the steep and irregular streets of a small town.