Courtenay

It is the second largest commune in the Balcons du Dauphiné after Les Avenières-Veyrins-Thuellin. The name of the town comes from the Latin “cortena” which could be translated as garden or small courtyard, emphasizing the importance of cultivating the land.

The village is not new, since the occupation by the Celts and the Gauls during the Gallo-Roman period is attested. Many excavations have been carried out there. In particular, 9 separate burial sites and 16 medieval necropolises dating from between the XNUMXth century and the XNUMXth century have been found.

1. Courtenay and its heritage
– The Saint-Martin parish church: built on the ruins of a pagan altar already mentioned in the 9th century, it retains its bell tower dating from the 14th century. The rest of the building dates from the end of the 19th century.
Inside the church you can see the baptismal font and the allegorical group sculpted on the tympanum. The latter illustrates the scene of the sharing of the cloak of the holy evangelist of Gaul. As such, more than 3000 churches are dedicated to him in France.
The building also houses the tomb of Louis de la Balme de Montchalin who was parish priest of Quirieu, Morestel and Courtenay.

The castles and fortified houses of Courtenay: it should be noted that no building was pillaged or destroyed during the French Revolution.

– Lancin Castle (private site): dating from the end of the 2014th century, it was listed as a historic monument in XNUMX (the entire castle, facades and roofs, part of the stables and part of the park). Its construction date is estimated at the end of the XNUMXth century.
It was built by the Lyon architect Louis Rigoct (1845-1879) in a neo-Gothic style (false machicoulis, false loopholes).

– The Montchalin fortified house (private site): dating from the 40th century, we owe its construction to Antoine de La Balme de Montchalin. It is surrounded by a large park of 4 hectares. The building is particularly recognizable by its 2000 imposing round crenellated towers. It was restored in XNUMX.

– The Boulieu fortified house (private site): dating from the 15th century, it has a remarkable corner tower. It was renovated at the end of the 20th century.

– The By fortified house: of the first building dating from the 15th century, only the bell tower remains. The rest of the building is attributed to the 17th century. Today it houses the By equestrian center.

– The Tirieu fortified house (private site): dating from the 14th century, it would have belonged to the Commander of the Order of the Temple, then to the order of the Knights of Malta. It lost its second tower and the chapel which was in its park.
It is said that not far away, in the woods of Pierre-Faye, the Moors passing through the territory left their treasure in Courtenay, not having time to take it away...

– The temple of Tirieu (private site): former Templar commandery located in Tirieu; it is mentioned in the cartulary of the commandery of Vaulx under the title “member of Tirieu” established at the end of the 12th century/beginning of the 13th century.
From the middle of the 18th century, the building was used for agriculture and livestock farming.

– The ruins of the Saint-Roch chapel (near the Saint-Rô multipurpose hall): following the discoveries of remains, it is estimated that the site hosted a villa dating from the Gallo-Roman era. The remains of the Gothic-style chapel date from the 2013th century. On the keystone is inscribed the name of the family behind its construction, “La Balme”. It was renovated in XNUMX.

– Composed vernacular heritage: in Courtenay you will find several fountains scattered throughout its hamlets, as well as wash houses, ovens, two jubilee crosses and an old press, particularly in the town center of Courtenay and in the hamlets of Lancin, Tirieu , Chanizieu, Boulieu or even Poleyrieu.

2. Courtenay topped with Dauphinois roofs
Talking about Courtenay also allows us to talk about the traditional Dauphinois roofs characteristic of local architecture. They are recognizable by their four-sided framework and their roofing in flat scale tiles.

You can also find roofs with coping stones. These roofs have a series of slabs arranged like steps along the side of the gable wall. These slabs are also called "coping stones" or "mantles." They serve to protect the walls of the house from damp and fire, an important precaution in the days when roofs were thatched. For this reason, they overhang on each side of the roof. At the top, you can see a piece of flint shaped like a sugarloaf, called a "round flintstone," which adds a unique finishing touch to these roofs.

3. Courtenay, nature side
In this village, the space is mainly occupied by ponds and forests, where nature has a dominant place in the landscape. Thus, it is not surprising that the name Courtenay, in local patois “Cortena”, derives from the Latin “Curtis” which means “garden”.

– The ornithological observatory of the Salette pond is a must in the town. This small wooden chalet on stilts offers stunning views of birds in their natural habitat, promising a peaceful and educational experience for the whole family.

– The Marais de Lancin pond contains a wide variety of fish such as pike, perch, tench, carp, white fish and even night carp! This fishermen's paradise is even accessible to cyclists since it is very close to ViaRhôna.