Prades

The village of Prades extends much further than one might think! It includes numerous hamlets such as Baza, la Blache, le Blacher, Brugeon, Couli, Champgontier, Chassargues, les Coufours, Courte-Serre, le Courtiol, Fabrias, le Fau, les Fiagoux, le Fulachier, le Gacher, l’Hoste du Fau, Montréal, Montséveny, le Nogier, Peyreplane, les Plots, le Pont-de-Prades, Rivier, Salibage, Salyndre, Sausse, le Vernet, les Mazes, le Bois de Prades, and la Roche… a whole territory to explore for those curious about unique viewpoints around the Salyndre River…

Prades was divided between two strong poles: agriculture and mining. Coal mines were present in the municipality and were part of a large coal basin. Stretching over 2 km and for a length of about ten kilometers, it extended around the municipalities of Lalevade d’Ardèche and Prades. The still visible vestige of this history is the Champgontier mining site (on private property), typical of the 19th century. The site is dominated by the superb masonry headframe of the Armand shaft, dating back to 1900. Coal extraction came to an end following a significant flood of the Salyndre River on August 6, 1963.

The church charms with its Neo-Gothic influence (with its beautiful bell tower-porch) and dates back to the 19th century (1867). It was built on the site and as a replacement for the old Romanesque church (destroyed due to its insufficient size to accommodate the growing number of parishioners). The heart of its architecture includes a statue of a virgin sculpted by Michel Lapierre, three naves, and a polygonal apse.

Did you know? One of the Ardèche mineral waters comes from Prades! The waters of Vernet, whose name means in Occitan “place planted with alders,” belonged to the municipality until the source was bought by a Parisian group. This doesn’t prevent this water from being enjoyed by gourmets nationwide.