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| Les Baux-de-Provence Vacations and Luxury Travel Packages |
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For most visitors, Les Baux-de-Provence is the main objective. This extraordinary village is hardly distinguishable from the spur of naked rock in which it is set. Prehistoric man has left traces of his safe oppidum, but little is known about his occupation. More is known of the Lords of Les Baux who, from the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries, were powerful far beyond the confines of Provence. They have a history that is filled for the most part with brigandage - except for the thirteenth century, when Les Baux was famous for its 'Courts of Love' and the troubadours who performed there.
In the seventeenth century, the town embraced Protestantism; Louis XIII and Richelieu had the castle and ramparts destroyed. A once populous town then began to crumble into decay. Today, the rituals of the sixteenth-century Midnight Mass (pastrage) - symbolic of pastoral Provence - are kept movingly alive each Christmas Eve in the church of St Vincent which is packed for the occasion. As part of the Mass, shepherds in traditional long cloaks escort a new-born lamb - seated in a cart pulled by a ram - to the altar.
Visitors enter the new village of Les Baux through Port Mage, cut in 1866. To the right is the seventeenth-century Town Hall which now houses a santon museum. At the road fork, the right branch can be followed to Porte Eyguirères, the old entrance. Continue along Rue de l'Église to reach the sixteenth century Hôtel des Porcelet which houses the Musée Yves Brayer, a collection of works by Brayer who settled in Les Baux after spending many years in Spain and Morocco.
At the Hôtel des Porcelet, Grande Rue - the left branch at the fork - rejoins. Grande Rue passes the Renaissance Hôtel Jean de Brion in which the engraver and painter Louis Jou lived. It houses an exhibition of his work. Also in Grande Rue are the Hôtel de Manville housing a gallery of contemporary art, and a sixteenth century Protestant chapel. A side road, Rue de Trencat, to the left, is carved from the rock. It passes the old village bread oven and leads to the deserted village.
From the join of Grande Rue and the Rue de l'Église, the twelfth century church of St Vincent, with its beautiful campanile (the 'lantern of the dead'), is reached. Close to the church is the Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs, seventeenth century but restored in 1936 when the walls were frescoed by Yves Brayer. From the nearby viewpoint in Place St Vincent there is a fine view over the Val d'Enfer, the Valleys of Hill, with its tortured rock formations.
In the valley stands the Pavilion de la Reine Jeanne, an interesting Renaissance building erected in the late sixteenth century by a 'Queen' of Les Baux. The building was much loved by Mistral who had a copy made for his tomb.
The old, deserted village is reached at the Hôtel du Brau in Rue Trencat. Here there is a small museum of excavated items and a fine model of how the village looked in medieval times. Inside the old site there are several old chapels, a Saracen Tower, the Paravelle Tower which offers a fine view of the old castle, the castle ruins themselves and a stone pigeon loft. Within St Blaise Chapel there is a small olive museum. There is also a monument to the local poet, Charloun Rieu of Paradou, who wrote the words for Nöel at Midnight Mass.
At the time of writing there is also a collection of ancient siege artillery built from original plans.
Bauxite, discovered here in 1822 as a vital mineral from which aluminium is extracted, perpetuates the name of Les Baux, although the major bauxite quarries are elsewhere in central Provence. One cavern has been used to house the Cathédrale d'Images in which 40 projectors are used to create huge murals thrown on giant white walls. The spectacular images include famous wall paintings - from neolithic caves and Egyptian tombs - as well as images of Provence.
Note
The deserted village, floodlit at night, is a real delight, but those with children or walking difficulties should be cautious. Some areas of the site have unprotected cliff edges and the ascent of the Saracen Tower is not for the faint-hearted.
Around Les Baux
The cavern lies north of Les Baux: to the south is another unusual site, La Petite Provence, in the village of Pardou. Here over 300 santons have been used to recreate an old Provençal village.
An itinerary west of St Rémy is to follow the D99, turning off at St Etienne-du-Grés on to the D32. At the next crossroads, and set back on the hillside on the left, is the curious twelfth-century chapel of St Gabriel. The Auberge du Carrefour has the key. A mixture of antique Roman motifs, Romanesque, Oriental and Classical themes cover the façade. By contrast, the interior is severe and simple.
At Barbegal is a remarkable Roman ruin. A fourth-century water-mill was fed by ingenious aqueducts whose ruined arches can be seen nearby. Two parallel series of shutes worked sixteen water-mills which ground the local wheat for Arles and Rome. Slots which held the grindstones, and the course of the mill-race, are still visible.
An itinerary east of St Rémy allows a delightful part of the Alpilles to be discovered. Take the D5 south and, for a panoramic view, turn left after 2.5miles (4km) and go to the top of La Caume 1,270ft (387m) where a short walk reveals a view of the flatlands of Crau, the Camargue, lagoons, and the distant sea.
Continue on the D5 almost as far as Maussane where a left turn enters the peaceful valleys of the buckled, eroded flanks of the Alpilles. Follow the route through Le Destet, Mas-de-Montfort and Aureille to Eyguières, with its fountains. Turn left on to the Orgon road (D569), and left again where the Castelas de Roquemartine ruins overlook the road. Return to Mas-de-Montfort, and turn right to Eygalières. It is worth exploring here before continuing east to the twelfth-century chapel of St Sixte, which is on a slope bare except for some cypresses and is another of those unforgettable rural chapels. |
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