Montcarra

1. Montcarra and its heritage

– The fortified house or castle of Montcarra (private, cannot be visited).
The castle was built in 1309 by Bertrand Carra. Thanks to an alliance at the end of the XNUMXth century, the castle returned to the Torchefelon family.
It was burned in 1402 by Thibaud de Rougemont (archbishop and Count of Vienne) to whom Jean de Torchefelon refused to pay homage.
The castle passed through the hands of several families over the centuries, and in 1871 it was bought by Mr. Denier, grandfather of the current owner Mr. Thomasset.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the castle accidentally burned down and underwent several transformations.

– The Saint-François de Sales church: it was built following the demolition of a first church built in 1838 thanks to the contribution of all the inhabitants.
This second church was built around 1859, in particular thanks to the Marquis de Murinais, owner of the Château de Montcarra and thanks to the involvement of the inhabitants. This neo-Romanesque style church has a “Latin cross” plan according to the plans of the Isère architect Berruyer (open only on days of mass or during heritage days and for December 8).
It should be noted, however, that the lower part of the bell tower is a vestige of the first building. It is decorated with 4 clock faces, topped with a 12-meter spire and a metal cross. The bell tower houses the Françoise Julie bell from 1838 and the Burgarelle bell from 1878.
In the nave of the church you will find on display a beautiful Virgin of the Apocalypse in gilded polychrome wood and the Catafalque called “death in wood”: it is the only piece of furniture of this type that remains in the territory of North Isère, which makes it precious. It once represented the deceased during commemorative masses.

– Rammed earth houses: this use of raw earth for the construction of houses is typical of the region.

– The Lyobard oven: restored between 2015 and 2017, a meeting and convivial place, it is regularly used by the village associations for traditional events and festivals.

– The 4 wash houses:
That of Goulet, downstream from the Gôle pond, practically nothing remains of it, apart from its wash stone, remarkable for its length of more than 17 m and its embedded supports on which the jambs of the roof rested.
The wash house of the pond, a small rammed earth building raised on rows of pebbles, located upstream from the Gôle pond.
The Fuyssieux washhouse.
Or the wash house with its Bachaux fountain, along the D143 at the entrance to Montcarra on the Saint Savin side.



2. Montcarra on the nature side with the Sensitive Natural Space, Etang de Gôle*

In Montcarra, nature occupies more than 97% of the village.
The ENS Gôle pond is very old, it already appears on the 1642 land register and on the Cassini map dating from the 2003th century where the dam is visible. It was one of the first sites labeled by the General Council of Isère in XNUMX.
It is home to a very diverse fauna and flora, with the presence of rare or endangered species including the European pond turtle and the Mercury damselfly.
To discover it, 2 discovery walking trails of 1,8km or 3,3km are possible. Take the discovery booklet available at the Balcons du Dauphiné Tourist Office!

*Events are regularly organized in the local ENSs. Information and registration at the Balcons du Dauphiné Tourist Office.