MAIRIE

Only 1 700 metres from Privas bird's flight, the village of Coux, perched on a promontory, is an interesting type of semi-fortified village. Commander of the passage of the Ouvèze, between the Rhone Valley and Privas, he has long drawn an undeniable military importance from his position. The wars of Religion particularly marked the territory of the commune which, at the time, shared between its hamlets of La Jaubernie, Villeneuve-de-Coux, Lubilhac, Chassagne.

Coux's etymological origin comes from the Latin cos-coast, rocks or «stony places». The 1 202 hectares of the communal territory include large mountain areas, culminating 827 metres in the Church's greenhouse. The rugged slopes - Serres's greenhouses and the Church in the north - support beautiful chestnut trees while the southern sector, with the Serre des Gras offers a lande of supra-Mediterranean species - boxes, ifs and ajoncs. At the bottom of the slopes, along the Ouvèze and Mézayon, sandstone limestone adrets with names of "hot coast" or "hot coast" receive vineyards, lande and chestnut trees. As for the foothills of the Ouvèze valley, with their «faysses», they bear some crops and vegetable gardens. In 1629, Coux was an important community of 80 to 100 houses built on the limestone outcrop dominating the Ouvèze. It came with arched passages, easy to block, leading to narrow and winding streets, still presenting today a wide range of built heritage - fountains, washing… The demography of Coux has grown very dramatically since 1960, from 832 inhabitants to 1 623 today. This development is linked, of course to the proximity of Privas, which in some respects Coux is the residential suburb and natural outlet. However, this village of character has maintained and preserved its medieval and natural framework with a constant effort for the flowering of houses. A great deal of charm lies in the various hamlets of the municipality, and it is from this observation that Coux aims to obtain the name of one of the most beautiful villages in France.

To see: Foulaquier in deadlock, we must take the time to stroll through the streets of Coux. The Grand-Street which leaves south of the Church Square is little more than a ruelle. Here, there is a daté dated - 1600 - a porch that leaves the passage only to people who bend very, very low, which speaks volumes about the gradual filling of the street over the centuries. On both sides, covered passages and alleys - Don-José Street, Pasadou, Nap, Pas du Sinks - add to the charm of the whole. The bridge over the Ouvèze under the departmental road leading to the village has been listed in the Historical Monuments Inventory since 1932. It is distinguished by the beauty of its ark and its situation. Built most certainly in Roman times and made up of three arches, it was modified in Napoleonic times, to keep only one. At each of its ends, the plongeantes facades of the houses highlight its parapet, which was restored in 1997.

The church of Romanesque architecture takes its place in the village very well, especially thanks to its steeple, which, with its four openings, is remarkably part of the profile of the village. This Dite church was built in the th and th centuries. At that time, it was part of the hamlet of Lubilhac. In the hamlets there are remnants of fortifications dating from the th century. Travellers who went to Privas by the Ouvèze Valley had to pass through Salt. A vaulted passage that still exists, allowed to reach the trails of Jaubernie and Lubilhac.

The cave caves of the Jaubernie, the high place of retreat of the populations during religious wars, are recorded in the Historical Monuments Inventory. The site is worth a glance, but their access is strictly forbidden. These four caves are 20 to 25 metres deep. Defensive walls which include machicolated the swamp to the right of the cliffs. The architecture of these walls was égaillée by Renaissance-style windows that reinforce the wild appearance of the approaches. Of natural origin in a very tender sandstone, they were underwater at the time of prehistory, proof of the fossils and shells found above in limestone. In the Middle Ages, they served as a place of refuge and protection during multiple invasions. They were therefore fortified in the th century. They were also a place of great position for the Protestants during the capture of Privas by Richelieu and Louis XVIII. We can take a look at the caves, but they are private. In the hamlet of La Baume, where the oldest of the caves exists, the visitor can admire a facade with an entrance door surmounted by a hug arch and a Renaissance-style crest.