La Bâtie-Montsaléon cascades down the slopes of the Marésieu plateau. There are different ways to explore the town: Mons Seleucus offers a glimpse into Gallo-Roman history, the Church of the Assumption brings together architectural and art history, and a hike opens up panoramic views of the surrounding landscapes. A cycling loop also leads from the town through named places and roads. This lets you consider culture and outdoor activity separately, without treating the different route profiles as equivalent.
Gallo-Roman settlement and church art
A Gallo-Roman settlement developed at Mons Seleucus from the 1st to the 5th century AD, at the crossroads of ancient routes. Civilian buildings and a large sacred area with several shrines shaped the site. Its long period of development and varied building types give it a different historical scale from the village’s more recent architectural history.
The Church of the Assumption was built in the 17th century. Its vaulted apse has been listed in the supplementary inventory of the Monuments historiques since 12 February 1940. The church also contains two paintings classified by the Monuments historiques as protected objects: “L'Adoration des bergers” from 1631 and “L'Adoration du Sacré-Cœur” from the early 18th century. The paintings therefore date from a later period than the Gallo-Roman settlement; the church itself, in turn, dates from the 17th century.
On foot: a loop with views
The “Le champ de la bataille” hiking route starts and ends at Place de la Mairie. It is 3.8 kilometres long, of moderate difficulty, and includes 84 metres of ascent and 85 metres of descent. Along the way, the route offers a panorama of the Buëch basin, the peaks of the Dévoluy and the mountains of Savournon. Route details may change; check the current description before setting out.
An orientation table is located in the upper part of the village and invites visitors to discover the surrounding landscape. The hiking route’s panorama and the table’s location offer different, complementary points of reference: the views are part of the hike, while the table in the upper part of the village faces out towards the landscape.
By bike: loop or stage
“Col de Chaumiane à vélo (N°6)” is a cycling loop around La Bâtie-Montsaléon described as easy. It starts at the town hall, follows the D148 towards Savournon and continues over the Col de Chaumiane to Chabestan. It returns to the car park at the town hall via Route du Villard. The named intermediate places and roads make the course of this loop easy to follow.
The GTHA stage from La Bâtie-Montsaléon to Laragne is different: it includes technical sections in the Gorges du Riou and near Vieil Eyguians before continuing towards Laragne. The cycling loop is rated easy, whereas technical sections are specified for the GTHA stage. This distinction is relevant when choosing a route, without implying an overall difficulty rating for the stage.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: La Grave, Névache, Saint-Crépin, Chabestan, Saint-Julien-En-Beauchêne, Puy-Saint-Pierre, Puy-Saint-André, Réotier.
For the broader travel overview: Hautes-Alpes.
