In the southeast of France, between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, we find the ancestral home of the Chastains—Vesc–a small, picturesque medieval village. Its name, derived from the Occitan word evesquet, meaning bishopric or diocese, can trace its origins to the age of feudalism when it was a fiefdom of the bishops of Die, an important town and stronghold roughly thirty miles to the north. The exact year Vesc was established is uncertain, likely in the late 11th century, but it can first be found in the records in 1113 AD1.
Vesc, rural and isolated, is surrounded by mountains on all sides. It doesn’t quite have the essential Mediterranean landscape of Provençe nor does it have the grandeur and stark ruggedness of the snow-covered peaks further to the north and east. Instead, it exhibits a stunning mix of both.
This region consists of a series of fertile, sheltered valleys between chains of small but steep, heavily wooded mountains 3,200 to 5,000 feet tall2. Oak, scots pine, and beech are the most common trees covering these Alpine foothills. Others that grow here include black pines, cedars, maples, linden, and elms. Poplars, willows, alders, and ash are found along the streams. Various shrubs found in this area are wild rose, hawthorn, wild plum, boxwood, holly, dogwood, and junipers3. In spring, the passes over the mountains are covered in various wildflowers giving the mountain meadows a burst of lively color.
The hillsides and valleys, with their lavender fields, vineyards, and olive groves, heavily hint toward the essential Provençal landscape found just a bit further to the south. Also, considering the origins of the surname Chastain already discussed, of great interest to us are the chestnut groves that plentifully dot the countryside.
Goats and sheep are commonly seen grazing on the hillsides. The area is famous for its rich goat’s cheese, picodon. Vesc’s rural character is emphasized, still even today, by reports of wolf attacks on these flocks and herds. One imagines that these were only more frequent in ages past. Wildlife abounds in this area, with plenty of roe and red deer, wild boar, foxes, hares, and martens as well.
The village itself, consisting of a town square with a fountain and a few narrow stone streets lined with medieval houses and buildings, is as pleasant as it is modest. It rests on a hill at the bottom of the southern slopes of one of the small, steep mountains so characteristic of the area.
A stream, the Ruisseau de la Rabassière, flows past the western edge of Vesc down into the little Veysanne River, lined with those poplars, willows and alders mentioned above. The Veysanne meanders through a fertile plain, then between dramatic gorges on its way to joining first the Lez River and then the rich, bountiful Rhône before, ultimately, reaching the Mediterranean Sea.
Just below the village sits St. Pierre’s Church, a wonderful if modest example of 12th century Romanesque architecture. St. Pierre’s has a small, peaceful graveyard on its north and east sides. If a Chastain were to walk through and take note of the names on the gravestones, they would observe the final resting place of many a long-lost and distant cousin. They would also know and feel, that beneath their feet, in that half-Alpine, half-Mediterranean soil, were laid to rest the bones of centuries of ancestors.
1. Brun-Durand, J. Dictionnaire Topographique du Département de la Drôme. p. 414.
2. Rondeau, M. “Une Vieille Enseigne.” Bulletin Des Sciences Pharmalogiques. p. 615.
3. Girard, P. Montjoux: Notice Historique. p. 10-11.