Châbons is a commune in the department of Isère, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, 20 km northwest of Voiron.
Its territory of 18 km² belongs to the natural region of Cold Lands, to the east of the Bièvres plain, within the former province of Dauphiné.
Crossed to the east by the course of the Bourbre, a tributary of the Rhône on the left bank, the locality rises to an altitude of 692 m, to the northwest, at the level of the Bois du Seigneur.
On its south-western part, the route of the A48 motorway linking Lyon to Grenoble has not altered the rural and green character of the landscapes. Covered by agricultural land (66% of its surface area), forests (15%) and meadows (11%), Châbons is made up of a town which extends along the RD 520 and dominates the Bourbre valley.
These hilly landscapes once inspired the poet Lamartine and the painter Johan Barthold Jongkind.
If excavations have attested to a Gallic presence in Antiquity, it was in the 12th century that the village was mentioned for the first time. The lords of the Virieu family built a fortified house in 1222. And in the 16th century, under pressure from the inhabitants, the village and the lands were integrated into the Dauphin's domain.
Nearly 2,200 inhabitants are counted in the town today. Its heritage with the Château de Pupetières and its leisure offerings in a preserved environment are sure to appeal.
The town is rich in a varied heritage. On a religious level, the parish church of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption, to the north of the town, was built at the end of the 19th century. It is the only church in the diocese in the shape of a Greek cross (its four branches are the same length). We notice its stained glass windows, each bearing the name of a hamlet financed by its inhabitants. Also preserved are a large wooden Christ from the previous church, the two chapels of the Blessed Sacrament and the Virgin, recently restored, quality baptismal fonts, like the altar and finally a rich statuary (Notre-Dame of the Assumption, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Jean-Marie Viannet…).
Then head to the north-east of the territory to discover the Château de Pupetières. A first building was erected in the 13th century in the form of a fortified house that the Virieu family, from which the first lords of Châbons came, occupied until the Revolution. The medieval castle was then set on fire.
The property returned to his ownership in the second half of the 19th century. And in 1860, Alphonse de Virieu called on the famous architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc to rebuild a setting worthy of the family history. He designed a masterpiece of neo-Gothic style in accordance with his philosophy which became a school: revisiting the canons of the Middle Ages by embellishing them with comfort and functionality worthy of the period... Combining various materials (stone, brick, adobe, pebbles in pesci (fish bone)…), Viollet-le-Duc built a main building of four levels whose corners and three facades included seven towers topped with pepper pots. The whole is covered with glazed tiles. Furthermore, a projecting front, hexagonal in shape, decorated with balustrades, marks the entrance.
The common areas and especially the interior decorations are in unison with this flamboyant architecture. Woodwork, sculpted elements, ironwork, tapestries: all the pieces prove to be exemplary of the know-how of the time... The library symbolizes this spirit with its 45,000 works, the woodwork and the painted ceiling.
The poet Lamartine, ally of the family, stayed at the castle, as did the painter Johan Barthold Jongkind, precursor of impressionism.
Listed in the Inventory, with a very beautiful park, the castle is open to visits (free or guided and possibly dramatized or at night in season), but also hosts receptions and cultural or festive events. Open Sundays from April to All Saints' Day and every day except Saturday from mid-July to mid-August. Price: from 5 and 7 euros.
Information on +33 6 14 30 27 31.
In different registers, still to be seen in the town, the war memorial dating from 1923 composed of a large pillar on which rests the sculpture of a woman writing (to her husband at the front). Enameled photographic plates in the shape of medallions represent the portraits of the Chabonnais who died during the first war.
Finally, the Durand (or de la Combe) farm should be mentioned: the house dates from the 18th century and the (later) outbuildings form a courtyard. The chipped tile roofs add to the character of the place.
On the cultural side, in addition to the hub that Pupetières Castle itself constitutes, in the village, the media library programs numerous events throughout the year and the village hall hosts shows and association events (contact the town hall on +33 4 76 65 00 10).
The circuit dedicated to the painter Jongkind, which concerns several localities, includes three sites immortalized by the artist, on Châbons: lecterns materialize these views which seduced the painter at the station, the church and the castle.
For hikers, eight marked circuits are traced in the territory which highlight the bucolic environment and the typical small heritage. One of them includes the pond and the so-called Grand-Lemps peat bog, to the southwest, with its rich ecosystem.
Larger loops can lead to Paladru Lake to the east (less than 10 km of walking).
Maps and information on +33 4 76 93 17 60.
