Banne

The etymology of Banne suffices to sum up the village. In Celtic Banne meant “needle” and “summit”. Built on a slope where a limestone plain meets the foothills of the Cévennes, Banne has come down the centuries unchanged.

The earliest traces of inhabitants go back to the Neolithic period: dolmen, cave paintings and primitive dwellings bear witness to this. Banne is original in that it has two quarters, that of the fort and that of the church. The former is the more ancient .As early as the C.12th houses were built around the fortified castle belonging to the de Banne family. In the C.16th the château was completely modified. In 1792, it was a refuge for the counter-revolutionaries of the area. As a form of retribution it was burned down and taken apart stone by stone. Today only the stables survive.
As for the village it has managed to come down to us as it was in the Middle Ages: its labyrinth of winding streets, its twisting staircases and its sandstone houses are there to remind the visitor of this.
Besides the riches of its heritage, Banne is also a place where it is pleasant to rest between two games of “pétanque” (bowls). Banne is also a place of culture: the year is punctuated by painting and sculpture exhibitions , classical music concerts and theatrical productions.
This wealth allows Banne to deserve the title of a village of character.

Information:
Tourist Office: 04 75 37 24 48