At the foot of an abrupt 230 metres cliff, the Fontaine de Vaucluse is the biggest spring in France and the fifth biggest in the world with a flow of between 630 and 700 million cubic metres. The site was a place of ritual offering in ancient times. Over 1,600 coins from the period of the first century B.C. to the fifth century A.D. were found on the site. The well goes 305 metres underground and receives the water from Mount Ventoux, the Vaucluse plateau, the Albion plateau and the Lure Mountain. Interestingly, it excludes waters from the Byre Mountain in the north, the Luberon and the Synclinal of Apt in the south.
© Copyright 2010. French Moments
THE LUBERON, Provence
About 70 km north of Marseille, between the département of Alpes de Haute Provence on the east, and Vaucluse on the west, it is about 60 km long and 5 km wide. Its highest point is “le Mourre Nègre” at 1,125 metres, the peak of "le Grand Luberon". The Luberon also includes “le Petit Luberon” which is 700 metres high comprising the areas of Cavaillon, Apt and Lourmarin and “le Luberon Oriental” on the east, which ranges from 280 to 976 metres.
The Luberon is a protected mountainous mass in the département of Vaucluse, in the south east of France which shelters a huddle of charming villages.
The Luberon, adored by French author Marcel Pagnol, was also Samuel Beckett’s refuge during the Second World War and a favourite of British author Peter Mayle, who describes the area with justified enthusiasm in several of his books, particularly in the “Year in Provence” series. The area deserves attention not only for its natural diversity, for which it has been granted the status of Natural Regional Park, but also for its picturesque villages.
How to get to the Luberon...
The Luberon is easily accessible by car from Provence’s main cities Marseille, Toulon, and Avignon, as well as from the cities of Lyon and Montpellier through an excellent network of motorways, the French “autoroutes”.
If you travel from Australia you could take a flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle, and travel by TGV from the airport station straight to Avignon and rent a car from there.
The TGV from Paris-Gare de Lyon takes less than 2.45 hours to the TGV station of Avignon.
Visit the Luberon
Provence Regional Tourism Committee:
http://www.decouverte-paca.fr/us/
Provence Tourist Guide:
Vaucluse Official Tourism Website:
http://www.provenceguide.co.uk/
Vaucluse Tourism Committee:
http://www.vaucluse-tourisme.com/
Tourist information Centre of Bonnieux and Ménerbes:
http://www.tourisme-en-luberon.com/
Tourist information Board of the Luberon:
http://www.luberon-en-provence.com/
Official website of the Luberon Regional Park:
Tourist information Centre of Cavaillon:
http://www.cavaillon-luberon.com/
Tourist information Centre of Apt:
Tourist information Centre of Lourmarin:
Tourist information Centre of Cucuron:
http://www.cucuron-luberon.com/
Tourist information Centre of Roussillon:
http://www.roussillon-provence.com/
Tourist information Centre of Gordes:
http://www.gordes-village.com/
Tourist information Centre of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse:
http://www.oti-delasorgue.fr/office-tourisme-fontaine-de-vaucluse.php
When staying in the Luberon, take the time to visit other renowned sites of Provence.
Tourist information Board of Avignon:
http://www.avignon-tourisme.com/
Tourist information Board of Aix-en-Provence:
http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/
Tourist information Board of Arles:
http://www.tourisme.ville-arles.fr/
Tourist information Board of Bouches-du-Rhône département:
Get travel advice about the Luberon!
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The entire Luberon area is subject to seismic activity and has been hit by two earthquakes, one in 1887, the other in 1909.
Its chalky earth and dry Mediterranean climate produces a multitude of different ecosystems, irrigated by the Calavon River to the north and the Durance River in the south.
Its flora and fauna are half-way between the Alps and the Mediterranean combining olive, cherry and almond trees, vineyards, silkworm and goat breeding as well as beekeeping. Such diversity delights painters, hunters and ramblers. The Luberon has some charming villages which enjoy the title of "the most beautiful villages in France", such as Gordes, Lourmarin, Ansouis, Roussillon and Ménerbes.
Le Luberon en Provence
Cavaillon
Bonnieux viewed from Lacoste © French Moments
Cavaillon, at the entrance to the Luberon Natural Regional Park, is located 774 km from Paris. It is an old Episcopalian seat and also the self-proclaimed capital of melon production, though melons are no longer grown there but imported.
It is located at the foot of the Saint Jacques hill, which is 180 metres high, facing the Luberon and the Alpilles range in the south east.
Cavaillon has over 25,800 inhabitants and was until 1830 the only crossing point across the Durance (by ferry boat) when the suspension bridge was built. The crossing of the Durance at Cavaillon by ferry was known from the Ancient Times and its service only ended in 1943. Occupation of the area dates back to prehistoric times. The Saint Julien canal runs through the town which is full of roman ruins, such as the baths and the triumphal arch which dates back to the first century A.D. In the north, one can observe storage wells and crypts, and there are remains of old fortifications, the biggest of which is the Avignon Gate. Finally, there are Gallic oppida on the Saint Julien mount. A whimsical anecdote about Cavaillon is that Alexandre Dumas offered his entire book collection to the village in exchange for 12 melons a year.
Cavaillon Tourist information Centre.
Oppède
The territory of Oppède is divided into three parts: the Luberon Mountain, the hills around the mountain and the bed of the Coulon River. The name of Oppède appeared for the first time in the 11th century; however occupation of the site can be traced back to early Roman times. Oppède belonged to the Popes until the 14th of September 1791 and its quarries supplied the stone used to build the Palais des Papes in Avignon.
Oppede has monuments which make the trip to the village worthwhile, such as the Saint Augustin oil mill, the Gothic and Romanesque church of Notre Dame d’Alidon, the ruins of the medieval castle, some town-houses dating back to the 15 and 16th century, two chapels and the beautiful gardens of “les Terrasses de Sainte Cécile”. Oppède celebrates the grape harvest on the third weekend of October.
Oppède Tourist information Centre.
Ménerbes
The old village of Ménerbes is situated on a mountainous spur 230 metres above sea level. It reaches the top of Petit Luberon in the south and spreads downwards to the Calavon River in the north. Home to 1,157 inhabitants, the site was occupied from the superior Neolithic onwards (Gallo-roman from 200 to 100 B.C.).
In the past Ménerbes enjoyed the presence of its Patron Saint, the religious hermit Castor who is believed to have lived in a cave not far from the village in the 4th century. Castor, bishop of Apt, founded a monastery named Manancha whose exact location is not known, although many believe that it was on the site of Ménerbes.
In the Middle-Ages, the village was accessed through two gates (Notre Dame and Saint Sauveur) which are among the main sites of the village: the 16th century church, the old cemetery and the town-houses of the Castellet and Carmejane, the Tingry mansion, the 18th century Saint Blaise chapel, the Saint Augustin mill and the village belfry.
Ménerbes went through tragic times during the Wars of Religion, particularly between 1573 and 1578 when it endured the longest siege of the Wars of Religion, when its Protestants opposed the Pontifical armies.
Originally it was a village rewarded for its loyalty to the Pope (at the beginning of the Wars of Religion, Ménerbes and Avignon belonged to the Papal States). It was taken by the Protestant league on the 4 October 1573 by 150 men, shortly after the tragic events of the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre. This bold move, right under the Pope’s nose, led some 4 years later into a siege when 1,200 horsemen, 800 sappers and 12 cannons were joined by more than 12,000 soldiers from the Provence, Italian and Corsican regiments.
Despite this impressive manifestation of power, the 150 Protestant soldiers besieged in the village resisted heroically.
It was only on the 9th December 1578 that the population surrendered to the Catholic army, apparently because of a lack of drinking water.
The siege lasted five years, two months and eight days and cost a fortune for Pope Pius V.
Today, Ménerbes is famous for Peter Mayle’s bestseller book “A Year in Provence”, an autobiographical story which humorously describes his settling in the village of Ménerbes to escape busy London.
Ménerbes also houses a corkscrew museum (musée du tire-bouchon) as well as one of the only dolmens in the Vaucluse: the Pichouno dolmen, and a white chalky rocks quarry.
Ménerbes Tourist information Centre.
Bonnieux
Bonnieux is a village of 1,400 inhabitants perched on the north side of the Luberon, with breathtaking views of the plains of the Calavon River, the Vaucluse Plateau and the Mount Ventoux. Leading down to the village is the Bonnieux valley which is linked to the Lourmarin valley and the two valleys are the only route crossing the Luberon.
Occupation of the site dates back to the mid Palaeolithic age in 58,000 B.C. The village possesses numerous monuments such as two Roman bridges: Pont de la Combette and Pont Julien built in 3 B.C. By 972, the town was already surrounded by a fortress and walls.
Bonnieux was also pontifical land from the 14th century up until the 14 September, 1791 when it was annexed to France, along with the Comtat Venaissin County which belonged to the Pope. For a short time, Bonnieux was included in the Bouches du Rhône département before being integrated into the newly created département of Vaucluse in 1793.
Bonnieux also has a bakery museum (musée de la boulangerie), a church from the 12th century displaying both Romanesque and Gothic styles. Next to Bonnieux is the Claparèdes Plateau housing several pastoral rock huts (called ‘bories’) as well as an oppidum dating back to Neolithic times.
Bonnieux was originally built at the foot of its current location and moved up in the middle ages for defensive reasons. Finally during Roman times Bonnieux was crossed by the Cadiz to Milan route.
Bonnieux Tourist information Centre.
Lourmarin
The charming village of Lourmarin stands at the end of the Lourmarin Valley (a passage between the Petit and the Grand Luberon).
On a hill slightly outside the village stands the Lourmarin castle which was built during the 15th century on the ruins of a medieval fortress.
It is also worth seeing the old windmill without its sails but just the village with its restaurants and picturesque paved street is enchanting.
Lourmarin Tourist information Centre.
Cucuron
South of the Luberon, on the northern side of the Aigues valley, surrounded by vineyards on a 375 metres high hill, is the village of Cucuron. A home to just over 1,800 people, its highest point is 1,040 metres above sea level and to the south of it is the Durance’s alluvial plain.
The origin of the name Cucuron is unclear. Some say it comes from Julius Caesar saying ‘cur currunt?’ whilst watching enemies flee (why are they running?), other argue it draws on the word ‘Kuk’ which means a site on a high mountain. The actual village dates back to the 11th century, before which it was just what its ancient inhabitants the Romans called a castrum. In 1720/1721 the village suffered a plague epidemic which had spread all the way from Marseilles (65 km away).
Cucuron is not only charming due to its picturesque atmosphere but also because of its monuments: the Notre Dame de Beaulieu and Notre Dame de Beauvoir churches, medieval walls and gates, castle ruins - especially the Saint Michel tower, an oil mill in a cave in the wall south of the village and the basin of a quadrangular pond, both from the 16th century.
The first Saturday after the 21st of May Cucuron celebrates "Saint Tulle Day" with the ritual of “l’arbre de main” (the hand-tree): a poplar is carried on the back of men across the village and erected in front of the church commemorating the saint, who put an end to the plague.
Cucuron Tourist information Centre.
Apt
In between the Luberon and the Vaucluse mount, crossed by the Calavon, lies Apt. The little town was created in 45 B.C. on orders from Julius Caesar. Although habitation of the site dates back to prehistoric times, a long Roman occupation is evident from the amphitheatre and the baths. The town is surrounded by ruins of walls erected in the Middle-Ages and hosts the Saint Anne cathedral.
There used to be six gates to the city but now only one is left standing: the Porte Saignon with a tower called “de l’hôpital”. The town specialities are candied fruits and earthenware / china. Also it produces, like most localities in the Luberon, wine, olive oil and cherries.
Roussillon
In the northern part of the Luberon, between the petit Luberon and the Vaucluse Plateau, is Roussillon, famous for its ochre quarries that were exploited from the end of the 18th century until the 1930s. Roussillon is a delightful Provençal village and the second most visited in the Luberon after Gordes. Its location at the top of a steep hill certainly gives it a great panorama and it is labelled as one of the most beautiful village of France (plus beaux villages de France). The village originated from a small castle built there in 987 and now contains several beauties such as the Saint Michel church, and pretty, colourful facaded buildings.
The legend behind the distinctive coloured ochre of Roussillon tells us a rather tragic story. Once upon a time, Lady Sirmonde, neglected by her husband who was away too often, fell in love with Guillaume de Cabestan. When Sirmonde’s husband, Lord Raymond of Avignon, learnt about her infidelity, he plotted to kill Guillaume while hunting. Once Guillaume was dead, Raymond dug up his heart and give it to the cook to be served to his wife. When Lady Sirmonde learnt about this terrible deed, she told him: “You offered me such a good meal that never again will I wish to eat”. When Raymond threatened her with his sword, she escaped and in her flight, accidentally fell off the cliffs and died. The legend says that her blood had coloured the landscape of Roussillon forever.
The ochre quarries of Roussillon are made of fantastic pigments ranging from yellow and orange to red. The mining of ochre has left its mark on the facades of Roussillon’s houses and a stroll through the village at sunrise or sunset will reveal enchanting colours.
The “Sentier de l’ocre” (ochre path) leads you through the old ochre quarries. If this astonishing landscape is the result of natural erosion by the wind and the rain, it has been accentuated by human hand which has cut deep galleries to extract the ochre.
In 1780, the colouring effect of ochre was discovered in Roussillon by Jean Etienne Astier, hence turning the peaceful village into a leading site of ochre production.
Roussillon Tourist information Centre.
Gordes
The village of Gordes is perched on a rock at 635 metres high, on the south flank of the Vaucluse plateau, above the plain of the Calavon River and in front of the Luberon. It is the most visited locality in the Luberon and enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year.
Housing two abbeys (Saint Chaffret and Sénanque), the Saint Firmin palace, ancient paved streets, mills, chapels and washhouses, Gordes truly deserves the title of one of the most beautiful village of France. One can guess at the Celtic past of the village due to the presence of oppida at the top of the rock on which the village is now situated.
Many vultures and predatory birds can be seen and typical Mediterranean forests (with many oaks with truffles growing beneath) around Gordes will delight walkers and nature lovers. An interesting fact about Gordes is the average age of its population: it is above the French average because the youth often leave the village as soon as they are old enough to work. Gordes also used to have an important silkworm breeding industry as well as the usual Luberon activities around olive trees and leather. Finally, Gordes was one of the numerous headquarters of the ‘Resistance’ during the Second World War.
Gordes Tourist information Centre.
There are three renowned Cistercian abbeys in Provence: Sénanque, Silvacane and Thoronet. The Cistercians are a Roman Catholic order with very strict rules of obedience.
The abbey of Sénanque (Abbaye de Sénanque) in Gordes, was founded in 1148 and is still occupied by monks. It became prosperous so fast that in 1152 a second abbey was built in the Languedoc. This prosperity was mainly due to donations from the Simiane dynasty and from the Lords from Venasque. In the 14th century, the abbey went into a period of decadence during which the riches accumulated over the years were hardly compatible with the vow of poverty taken by the monks. In 1544, monks were hanged during the wars of religion with the monastery burnt down and the lay building completely destroyed. By the end of the 17th century, only two religious people remained in the abbey. During the French Revolution, it was sold as a national possession to a purchaser who not only preserved but consolidated the edifices. In 1854 the domain was bought by a clergyman and its original vocation restored: new buildings were built and 72 monks settled back there.
Nowadays several parts are open for the public to visit, such as the cloisters and the capitulary room (where the religious community gathers). A souvenir shop was opened at garden level to sell books.
The Cistercian monks came back to Sénanque in 1988. The Cistercian order is inspired by Saint Bernard de Cîteaux and strictly follows the Rule of Saint Benedict: isolation, poverty, simplicity, which is believed to be the only path to bliss. These values are translated into rough living conditions for the monks: service, prayer, pious reading and manual work. Rest periods are never over 7 hours, meals are frugal and to be taken in silence and the monks sleep fully dressed in common dormitories. The business of the abbey’s inhabitants is the cultivation of lavender from which they make extracts and honey; the monks also sell religious books as well as products from other abbeys, and of course the visits to the abbey are another source of revenue. Their main source of food is the vegetables they plant and they also offer hospitality to people wishing to share the prayer life of the community. Quite interestingly, there have only been two baptisms in the last century and only one wedding in the whole history of the abbey.
The Abbey of Sénanque
The Village des Bories
The village des Bories is 3 km away from Gordes and is composed of approximately 20 dry rock cabins for pastoral and agricultural seasonal use.
Bought and restored from 1969 to 1976 upon the initiative of Pierre Viala, the Village des Bories was classified an historical monument on 17 October, 1977. They were called “cabanes” in the Napoleonic era and only got the name “Borie” during the second half of the 20th century. The huts date back to the 17th and 18th centuries when the land on which they stand was cleared and a lot of rocks were discovered. Different types of remains were found: ceramics, money, bronze objects and flint. The Bories are made from flat limestone rocks between 10 and 15 cm thick called “lauses” or “clapes” in the local vernacular. Most of them were either seasonal or permanent homes or stables, barns, sheepfolds, henhouses, sheds, silkworm nurseries, etc. Their roles were essentially agricultural; this is indicated by their location on ancient olive and almond plantations and vineyards. They could have belonged to people that were not inhabitants of Gordes but who had land in the area nonetheless. The site is open for visitors.
The village of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
On the bank of the Sorgue River, built around its source in a dead-end valley at the feet of the Vaucluse plateau, lies the village of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. Named after the famous and abundant water source nearby, it is surrounded by chalky hills 230 to 240 metres high.
The Notre-Dame and Saint Véran church were built by monks on the site of an ancient sanctuary dedicated to a pagan god of the waters. Saint Véran was a hermit who courageously dispelled the Couloubre, a dragon which used to terrorize the local population from its retreat set in the area around the spring.
In Fontaine-de-Vaucluse one can also find remains of the bishops of Cavaillon’s castle and a column from 1804, erected for Petrarch’s 600th birthday. From 1339, the Italian poet and humanist had made Fontaine-de-Vaucluse his favourite retreat. The village has two troglodyte dwellings; an old stationer and a Santon museum (a “santon” is a plaster Provençal figurine used for the Christmas nativity). Paddle wheel cruising along the Sorgue River towards the source of the river is a good and entertaining way to discover the site of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.
The village used to be called Vaucluse, from Latin “Vallis Clausa”, the remote valley. It gives its name to the département of Vaucluse. Until 1946, it was known as Vaucluse-la-Fontaine but changed its name to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse because of the water source nearby.
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse Tourist information Centre.
The water spring of Fontaine de Vaucluse
Abbey of Sénanque © Olivier Risnes
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse © O’Dea, French Moments
Water srping of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
© O’Dea, French Moments
Gordes © Olivier Risnes
All photos of Bonnieux © French Moments
Village des Bories © Olivier Risnes
Abbey of Sénanque © Olivier Risnes
All photos of Roussillon © French Moments
Oppède-le-Vieux © French Moments
Lourmarin Castle © French Moments
Ménerbes © French Moments
Fortifications of Ménerbes © French Moments
Apt, Porte de Saignon © OT APT
All photos of Cucuron © French Moments
Cavaillon Cathedral © OT Cavaillon
General view of Cavaillon © OT Cavaillon
The Alpilles - a mountain range surrounded by a colourful and sun-kissed landscape of cypress trees, olive groves and sunflowers. Les Baux-de-Provence, Fontvieille and Eygalières.
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence - a delightfully compacted little town surrounded by lush green fields which are bordered by sturdy cypresses and poplars. Van Gogh, Les Antiques and Glanum.
Luberon, valley of the Calavon © French Moments
Panoramic view of Cucuron © French Moments
Ménerbes © French Moments