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République des Escartons, 1343-1789

escartons-charte
The ‘République des Escartons’ was created in 1343 with the buying of certain political and fiscal freedoms from the Dauphin Humbert II and the signing of the ‘Charte’, its constitution. The republic at this time consisted in five ‘escartons’: two in France (the Briançon and Queyras areas) and three in Italy (Oulx, Pragela, Château Dauphin).
Escarton means ‘the sharing of taxes among the members of the community’.

The Queyras Escarton covered seven communes – Abriès, Aiguilles, Arvieux, Château-Ville-Vieille, Molines, Ristolas and Saint Véran – which were collectively managed.
The ‘Grande Charte’ or Great Charter served as the Escartons constitution for nearly four centuries.

The archives of the Queyras Escarton were held in a cabinet with eight locks, one for each of the communes and an eighth one for the general secretary. The cabinet could only be opened in the presence of everyone. It is now on exhibition in Ville-Vieille.
The French Revolution put an end to the privileges acquired during the République des Escartons. 





Waldensians


Driven from the Lyon region in around 1200, the Waldensians settled in the Freissinières valley and the villages of Piedmont, near the Queyras.
Frequent incursions led to the spread of the religion’s doctrines and large numbers of conversions.
The Wars of Religion that followed lasted almost three centuries. The proclamation of the Edict of Nantes in 1598 brought a period of relative calm, but this came to an en end in 1685 with the Edict’s revocation by Louis XIV.
Fleeing persecution, the Waldensians moved to other regions of France, and emigrated to Switzerland, Germany and even parts of Latin America.

Protestant churches in the Queyras:
- Arvieux: The first protestant church, built in the 16th century, was destroyed after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and was only reconstructed in the 19th century (1803 and 1827).
- Brunissard: Church known as the ‘Chapelle Evangélique’, dates from after 1825.
- Molines-Fontgillarde: The protestant church built in 1600 was destroyed in 1684. There is a commemorative monument to the church in the old protestant graveyard.
- Saint-Véran: The old church, built above the Hameau du Raux, was demolished in 1685. The current church was constructed in 1804 with the belfry being built in 1843.

temple-arvieux