iCyclades - Cyclades Discovery Guide

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The Castle of Venthône is one of the largest surviving Romanesque fortified houses in the Valais. Today, it is a cultural meeting place where numerous events are organised (exhibitions, shows, concerts, readings, conferences). Together with the adjoining church, it forms a characteristic silhouette of the vineyards overlooking the town of Sierre.

Formerly the fortified residence of the knight Pierre de Venthône, the castle was built at the end of the 12th century. Attested as early as 1268, it was transformed in the 15th and 17th centuries, then in the 1600s it came into the possession of the Venthône bourgeoisie, who completely renovated it between 1972 and 1978.

Chemin de Vareille continues towards the hamlet of Moulin and the Monderèche torrent, once the centre of Venthône's craft industry thanks to a series of "artifices", the term used in the Valais to describe installations that harnessed water power. The Venthône "Historical Walk" continues there, but our virtual stroll ends here, climbing Chemin de Laula to reach Rue de Monderessy and the car park.

Saint Sebastian parish church, built between 1661 and 1667, was renovated in 1990-1992. It is in the post-Gothic style, with beautiful Baroque portals and a massive bell tower with a masonry spire. Its Baroque furnishings date back to 1666-1670.

This beautiful neo-Romanesque building was built in 1880 over the ruins of a medieval tower burnt down in 1851. Its cellar still has 2m-thick medieval walls. Behind us, Ruelle de la Tour leads up to Ruelle de la Pierre and its beautiful 19th-century barn-stable.

The beautiful building below is the De Preux-Monderessi house, a traditional log construction on a plastered masonry base. A beam bears the date 1748, while the soapstones date from the 17th century and 1758. Passing to the right of this house, you come to the village square.

Our virtual stroll starts (and ends) here, at the free car park next to the main road between Sierre and Montana-Crans. Please note: if you wish to use public transport, do not take the SMC funicular (Sierre-Montana-Crans), whose Venthône stop is more than 1km from the village. Instead, take the line 422 bus from Sierre.

Here we come to the Jean-Adrien Monderessi - Marguerite de Chastonay house, dating from the 16th and 18th centuries, with its small 13th-century stone tower and painted sundial. Renovated in 1971, it still has panelled rooms and a soapstone stove dating from 1552.

Above the door of this barn-stable, a beam bears the date 1575, but it may come from a building that no longer exists. Either way, it's very old indeed! The grey building to its right is a wine press dating from 1890.

The Jean de Platea house, with its decorative paintings on the facades, was originally built in 1542 and retains a panelled room with soapstone from that period. A beam dated 1719 indicates a later conversion, and the whole building was renovated in 1978.

We arrive now at Venthône's landmark buildings, the church and castle, whose highly recognisable silhouettes can be seen from the plain. We'll of course show you the inside of the church before taking a closer look at the castle.

You might think you were looking at the castle's twin sister, and indeed this 12th-13th century building was built by the De Venthône family, just like the castle. This Romanesque fortified house was occupied by the parish priest from 1672 and, since its renovation in 1984, it has housed the municipal offices.

Most of the information on our virtual stroll has been adapted from Venthône's "Historical Walk", a tourist trail with educational panels. Here, the walk will take you past a massive building dating from 1879, vaguely reminiscent of the fortified houses of the Middle Ages.

One last remarkable building before climbing the Chemin de Vareille back to the car park where we started our stroll. This yellow house is rather disparate: a door dating from 1767, a 1906 balcony on the corner tower and a 20th-century veranda.

At the entrance to the lane, the building on the right appears to be for sale. Given its condition and the cost of refurbishment, it's hard to imagine that buyers are rushing to the door. Built in 1578 as a Jesuit residence, it became the Rey-de Chastonay house in 1790. Apparently abandoned for a very long time, the building is falling into disrepair while waiting for its rescuer...

This very large barn-stable dates from the 19th century. It was undoubtedly built on much older foundations, as it includes a small oratory dating from 1677 that the poet Rainer Maria Rilke mentioned in his writings. A few metres further on, we'll turn right and head down towards Route de Miège along the path of Ruelle de la Tour.

Venthône has retained its rural and craft vocation and, since the late 1970s, the village has been concerned with preserving its historic site by encouraging the renovation and enhancement of its old buildings. As a result, the village square has become a real jewel.

A typical Valais building stands in the village square. It is a "raccard" (traditional granary in the Alps), a chalet made of beams resting on "palets" (circular stone discs) supported by "pilets" (vertical pieces of wood). This ingenious system is designed to keep rodents out of the granary.