Villars-Le-Sec: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Villars-le-Sec is located at the first foothills of the Jura limestone plateaus. The village originated around the 9th century as a dependent settlement of Murbach Abbey.

Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Villars-le-Sec has chosen this destination as their place to stay.

Geographical Location

The municipality’s forest covers 50 hectares and consists mainly of oak and beech trees.

History and Villagescape

At the foot of the church steps is the church fountain, known as the “pouche di motie”. The building at Place de l’École, the starting point of the path, was built in 1873 as a municipal building and school.

Church and Cultural Heritage

The church of Villars-le-Sec, dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, was built in 1829. The Church of Notre-Dame de la Nativité received its bell tower in 1867 and was extended by Riche and Chapuis according to plans by Aristide Poisat. It has a protected Stations of the Cross with 15 stations dating from 1865.

The mechanism of the church clock in Villars-le-Sec is exhibited at the Musée Japy in nearby Beaucourt. It is said to have been installed in the bell tower in 1865 for the locksmith Charles JOLLAT from Porrentruy in Switzerland and to have functioned until 1921.

Hiking

The “Sur le plateau de l’Ajoie” trail begins at the car park at Place de l’École. As a circular route, it is an easy 10-kilometre hike with 143 metres of elevation gain and a duration of approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes; the starting point is in Villars-le-Sec. The trail follows a cross-border section along the Mazarine boundary markers to Les Pas du Diable. A pictogram marks the trail and provides guidance during the hike.

Nature and History

Les Pas du Diable is a tourist site in the forest and at the edge of the forest. A trail marked with a yellow ring, Les Pas du Diable, leads to a large flat stone near Villars-le-Sec associated with the legendary encounter between Bishop Dizier and Satan. The site is also linked to the legend that the devil left his footprints while pursuing Bishop Saint Dizier.

More local pages: Lachapelle-Sous-Chaux, Danjoutin, Cravanche, Buc, Chaux, Meroux, Grosmagny, Frais

To the higher-level travel overview: Territoire De Belfort.