Clinging to the foothills of the highest area of the Luberon, it will welcome you in its soft shadows. Experience an environmental approach to quality, share the pleasure of living and enjoy a moment of pure happiness. The people of Cabrières-d'Aigues are called Cabriérains. The name of the village of Cabrières Aigues comes from "goat" (goat) and "acute" (water).
In the sixteenth century, the village depended on the Lord of La Tour d'Aigues. At the time of the Great Plague (1495) casualties are such that the villages were decimated. And the lord Raymond Agoult seeks to repopulate. The difficulty is to find people who accept a life of poor peasant, he will then naturally turn to the Vaudois. The Vaudois are people who follow the ideology of Peter Waldo (bourgeois who left his fortune to spread the word). The foundations of the Waldensian ideology are humility, sharing, non-violence, poverty. So they agree to repopulate the villages of the valley, but will eventually be massacred in 1545 by Catholics "papists" who considered them heretics.
The relief of Cabrières-d'Aigues: Found in the early nineteenth century by a farmer and highlighted by a notary passion for archeology. The original is now in the Musée Calvet Avignon. The monument of which these blocks had to be very important, judging by the isolated patterns we have. The composition is a sailing boat without, in charge of two large hooped barrels. At the rear a man standing slightly bent handles one oar with both hands. This boat is towed by two men, a lack character, they are dressed in the Roman tunic. In the background are stored several vases.
Presumably this piece from the tomb of a cooper or a winemaker. This relief provides additional lighting: Durance was used for ascent. We know that the goods down on assemblies trunks and inflated skins (animal skin bags). A copy is visible in the hall.
Adjoining the town is the church.
The Saint-Laurent: The church dates from the seventeenth century, at the time it was over about the place because the number of practicing being much higher, we needed more space. During the restoration in 1974 * it was shortened to make room on the Place de l'Ormeau.
* At the time the work was found a plaque dated 1191, it was then thought that it was the date of construction and affixed the plaque on the wall inside the church. It was only later that we realized that the plate was read upside down and the church dated indeed the seventeenth century (the inscription being read correctly 1611). Look in front of the church and the town hall.
The fountain of the Town Hall: Built in 1874, she is leaning against the parapet of the retaining wall of the place de l'Ormeau.
Take "The Cave Passage" left the hall and up the stairs.
The Protestant church and its statue: This is a Protestant church (the Vaudois had subsequently rallied Protestants). On the side of the temple there is a very interesting sculpture in particular by its symbolism: the base is in the Luberon stone and the stone that comes overcomes the Alps. Waldensians from the briançonnais it is understood that it is the stone Luberon hosting the vaudoise stone. This is a tribute to the Vaudois people, which is also found across the three dates on the wall of the temple: March 10, 1495: Arrival of the Vaudois in the village, 16 April 1545: the massacre of the Vaudois, April 29, 1995 : tribute to the Vaudois with this sculpture.
Walk along the street of the temple and turn right rue des Vaudois to get on the street to Invent.
Invent the street: This street is so named because there are houses with invents, typical buildings of Briançon brought by the Vaudois. These are small steps above the decks that are designed to keep the rain but not the wind, which allowed for drying crops safe.
If you like going up the street from the Invent you get above the staircase fossils.
The staircase fossil: North of the village down the hill on the "Clos" has delighted many children who were scratching hillside to discover shark teeth or bones (rarer) and, of course, shells myriads (pecten, ostrea...). The geological reserve brought the prohibition to touch the cliff.
Once down the stairs, turn right onto the street in Little Fountain. Then again right where you will find a small fountain that fed the mill just oil side. Small blue door. Ask the key to the City Council.
The oil mill: He was laid in a house bought by the community to replace the mill converted into a parish church. The volumes are entirely dug into the rock. Inside there is the mill where olives were available then a mule is harnessed walking to rotate the mill and grind the fruit. The paste obtained was then placed between the mats (sort of circular of about 40 cm in diameter mat) which are successively stacked (a scourtin / paste... so on) and which is then passed under a press for recover the oil. The fountain can be seen to the right of mill communicates with another small fountain. The water came so far used either to power the fountain or to power the mill. Above we see a hole: it is a drip edge (groove) which carried water to the mill. This water was then boiled and poured on escourtins to further recover more oil *.
* This oil of lower quality was for the poor and Marseille soap.
Go back now on the main square. Cross the bridge and continue on the street gardens. You will meet on your left the castle stairs you can start the climb. Walk past a wash and continue the climb to the chapel.
The chapel Saint-Elzéar: Commonly known as the chapel of the "thousand flowers", it is now private. Remain only the cross, the steeple and an aperture with a window. It was formerly the parish church (late thirteenth century). After a turbulent history, it was transformed into a house, saved by the Duke of Sabran (late nineteenth) who dedicated it to his ancestor, St. Elzear. Enjoy the beautiful scenery before beginning the descent.
