Route of the Bournas de Jarjayes via Grand Bois

To get to the village of Jarjayes, take the D942A from Gap via the Col de la Sentinelle, or go up from the D942 at Valserres. Park in front of the village church (a few parking spaces available).

(S/E) Cross the D942A carefully, pass in front of the fountain and continue on this road to the right, heading north-west.

(1) Take the tarmac road, Chemin de Prenaille, slightly to the left, heading north-west. The road then turns into a track and runs alongside cultivated fields and pastures until it crosses the Route de la Roche, below the Col farm.

(2) Cross the road carefully, staying on the track to reach the intersection 100 metres further on. Continue to the right, towards "Les Bournas - Rambaud". The track descends until it reaches a small road.

(3) Follow it to the right (Route de Casserelle) until you reach Route de Jarjayes (D942A), shortly after Col de la Sentinelle.

(4) Take the path on the left which descends for about 30 metres before the road junction. Stay on this beautiful undulating path and descend for 2 km. Cross the Torrent de Laval, then join a forest track at a hairpin bend.

(5) Continue along the track to the left, heading north, for about 200 metres.

(6) Leave the track and take the path on the right towards the forest. Cross the Torrent de Bournas, then join a path that leads to a place called Les Bournas.

(7) Take the tarmac road on the right and join the D942A.

(8) Cross it, then follow it carefully for 150 m until you reach a track that climbs to the right (hiking post).

(9) Take this track towards "Rambaud" and follow it through the woods for about 2 km, ignoring the paths leading off to the left or right. The fairly dense forest provides pleasant shade on summer days. A final, very rutted climb leads to a crossroads (elevation 943).

(10) Turn right onto the erosion-damaged track towards "Jarjayes" (due south). Follow it for a couple of kilometres until you reach a crossroads at the edge of the forest.

(11) Continue straight ahead on the dirt track, heading south-east then east, until you reach the tarmac road (Route de Rambaud).

(12) Continue right on the small tarmac road and follow it carefully for about 400 metres until you reach a right-hand bend. Then take the path that cuts across the hairpin bends in the road and continue along the path to the Chapelle Saint-Pierre and its cemetery.

(13) Take Route du Laus (D211) on the right and follow it straight ahead to the church in the village of Jarjayes (S/E).

Fountain in the village of Jarjaye.

Located on the ridge above the village (Montée du Fraissy) and near the ruins of the old Saint-Thomas church, the Jarjayes orientation table offers a panoramic view of the Merdarel and the peaks of the Basse Durance.

The religious history of Jarjayes is marked by several successive buildings. The oldest church, dedicated to Saint-Pierre, was built in the 12th century near the current cemetery, on a platform overlooking the Touron valley. It served as a parish church for a long time, even after the village was moved to higher ground, until its destruction during the Wars of Religion in the 16th century. Its stones were reused in 1860 to build the Chapel of Saint Peter, which now occupies the same site and serves as a family burial place. After the ruin of Saint-Pierre, the Church of Saint-Thomas, located inside the castrum on the rock of Tréchâtel, became the new parish church. It too, mentioned as early as 1190, suffered significant damage during the Wars of Religion and was rebuilt in the 17th century. Finally, the current parish church, dedicated to Saint Thomas and Saint Restitutus, was built in the centre of the village between 1872 and 1874, reflecting the gradual shift in the religious heart of Jarjayes.

Bournas comes from bornes, meaning boundaries, as this hamlet is located on the edge of the territory (cf. Allemand, Histoire de Jarjayes BSEHA 1895 p195). This place was formerly known as Pré des Johans (Terrier des recognoyssances de noble Jehan de Saint-Germain de 1574 "p628 LTJ). We know that the family of Jehan and Guilhen Bornas lived in the hamlet in the 16th century. Did the Bornas family give its name to the hamlet, or did the family take its name from the hamlet where it lived? It is also the name of the stream that flows under the Bournas bridge and into the Partiment.