Les Baux-de-Provence
The famous medieval village
Les Baux-de-Provence is a beautiful village located in the south of France, in Provence. Perched on a hill, it offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. This medieval village is famous for its ruined castle, picturesque streets, and art galleries. Les Baux-de-Provence is also known for its limestone quarries, which have been exploited since ancient times for the construction of many monuments. It’s a charming and historical place to discover!
To discover
in Baux-de-Provence
5 Reasons to Visit Les Baux-de-Provence
The ruins of the Château des Baux-de-Provence
The Carrières de Lumières
The splendid views over the rest of Provence below.
The numerous art galleries.
The many traces of architecture scattered throughout the village.
Vacationing in Baux-de-Provence
In Baux-de-Provence, many activities await you! Visiting the Château and the Carrières, discovering the local vineyards, exploring the streets or the nearby Alpilles are just a few examples of what awaits you.
Summer Holidays
If you come to Baux-de-Provence, there is one place you cannot miss: the famous Château des Baux. This castle was built in stone in the 13th century, but the oldest known texts mentioning the “Balcium Castrum” date back to 960 AD. The first wars the castle would face occurred in the mid-12th century, the famous “Baussenque Wars,” pitting the local lords of Baux against the powerful lords of Provence. This led Hugues and Barral des Baux to truly solidify the castle: high and thick walls were added, numerous siege weapons were installed all around, and a large keep tower was also constructed. The family’s power gradually increased, reaching its peak at the end of the 1300s. Unfortunately, the many religious wars put an end to the family’s expansion and led to the loss of its titles. Reduced to a simple barony, the Montmorency family, close friends of François I, rebuilt the town in an Italian Renaissance style in the 16th century. But in 1631, the Manville family, owners of the castle and defenders of the Protestants, turned against the royal family. Louis XIII sent his cardinal Richelieu with an army to destroy the castle. After a month-long siege, the town fell. At the express request of the inhabitants, the walls were demolished, and the barony was reduced to a simple marquisate (a title still held today… by the Monaco family!). The inhabitants gradually abandoned the fortified village to settle in the “lower town.” From 3,000 inhabitants in the 13th century, barely 400 remained by the end of the 19th century. Poets and writers, including Frédéric Mistral and Alphonse Daudet, spoke of the castle, but without really sparking interest in it. The Château seemed truly forgotten and abandoned… Until 1945: “L’Oustau de Baumanière,” a multi-starred restaurant, opened its doors and attracted prestigious guests (even the British royal family visited several times). Increasingly popular, the castle became a true tourist site in 1993. And in 2007, thanks to plans discovered in its ruins, three functional siege engines were built, probably similar to those the Baux family itself used against its assailants over time.
Your Holiday Home in Les Baux-de-Provence
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On rainy days, you can seek refuge in the Saint-Blaise Chapel in Les Baux-de-Provence, a deconsecrated Romanesque chapel built in the 12th century. Built by the weavers' and wool carders' guild in honor of their patron saint, the building became the headquarters of their confraternity (or guild) at the end of the 17th century.
Golf Courses Nearby
Places to Visit in Les Baux-de-Provence
The village is largely abandoned, leaving plenty of space for many visitors who come to marvel at the beauty of it all. The architecture, the small streets, the surrounding landscapes… There’s so much to see!
Family Holidays
For centuries, the quarries were used by the inhabitants to extract large blocks of white limestone, the main rock used to build the castle (as well as some of the oldest buildings in Arles, for example). Later, after the discovery of other deposits offering easier export solutions, the discovery of a new rock, bauxite, which allowed for the production of aluminum, revived activity. But everything came to a halt in 1935. The quarries were brought back into the spotlight in 1960 when Jean Cocteau used them for his film “The Testament of Orpheus” (with Jean Marais in the title role). This led to the inauguration of the Cathedral of Images in 1975: an exhibition of paintings, photographs, and film scenes projected onto the white, smooth walls of these disused quarries. So, if you’re looking for an amazing family excursion, in natural halls sculpted by the hands of thousands of men over the centuries, to see all kinds of paintings and presentations come to life on the very walls that surround you, you know where to go.
Romantic Getaway
Many remnants are scattered throughout the old village of Les Baux-de-Provence. One of them, facing the Town Hall, is a simple window frame, the rest of the house (called Logis de Brisson-Peyre) having collapsed over time. The peculiarity of this house from 1571 is the engraving that can still be read today: “Post Tenebras Lux” (After Darkness, Light), a Calvinist phrase that proves the open presence of Protestants, as the Barons of Baux did not expel them, unlike what was usually done in neighboring towns of Catholic Monarchic France. This is just one of the many pages of history the village is filled with! A good reason to take long walks in the old village, hand in hand, trying to piece together these little stories within the Great History.
Vacation with Your Dog
Not far from the Carrières lies the incredible Val d’Enfer. The limestone rocks, exposed to wind and rain, have been sculpted and eroded, taking on strange shapes that decorate the path running through it. The writer Frédéric Mistral (Nobel Prize in Literature in 1904) described this place as the source of inspiration for Dante’s Inferno. Indeed, the name of the valley comes from the Latin “infer,” meaning “below”… In any case, this hike will offer you splendid sights and plenty of space for your four-legged companion to run and explore at will!
Getting to Les Baux-de-Provence
Les Baux-de-Provence is bordered by the D27 and D27A roads.
To visit Provence, the airports in Marseille, Montpellier, and Nice are the most recommended.
The nearest TGV station is Avignon TGV.
Nearby Towns to Les Baux-de-Provence
- Maussane-les-Alpilles: Approximately 3 kilometers.
- Paradou: Approximately 3 kilometers.
- Saint-Rémy-de-Provence: Approximately 6 kilometers.
- Saint-Etienne-du-Grès: Approximately 7 kilometers.
- Fontvieille: Approximately 7 kilometers.
Les Baux-de-Provence, History, Traditions, and Culture
Thanks to its plateau, the locality of Les Baux-de-Provence has been inhabited since at least the 6th millennium BC. The wooden castrum, built during the Celtic presence, was gradually replaced by a more solid castrum, thanks to the numerous limestone quarries in the area, which men began to exploit as early as the 1st century BC. In the Middle Ages, the Baux family built and then reinforced the castle. At the height of their power, no fewer than 79 different towns were under their rule. The family also claimed to be descendants of one of the three Wise Men, Balthazar. Legend has it that while following the star, Balthazar reached Les Baux-de-Provence and settled there long enough to have descendants, who later became the lords of Baux. This supposed ancestry is reflected in the family’s coat of arms. The name “Baux” probably comes from the Occitan word “bauç,” meaning “rocky escarpment,” although another theory suggests it comes from the “Balthes,” an illustrious Visigothic family known for their bravery. The current name of Les Baux-de-Provence dates from August 13, 1958. Until then, the commune was simply known as “La Baux.” One tradition that still endures today in Les Baux-de-Provence is the Tremaïe Pilgrimage (meaning “Three Maries”). A local legend tells that centuries ago, the plateau was surrounded by the sea and that the three saints managed to reach these shores aboard a boat. The discovery of a carved stone (depicting a man and two women, but “identified” as Mary of Bethany, Mary Salome, and Mary Jacobé) triggered the beginning of this pilgrimage in 1830. In 1845, the Chapelle des Trémaïe was erected to prevent the stone from rolling away, and since then, on the third Sunday of May, pilgrims bring an effigy of the boat that brought the Trémaïe and recite a prayer right in front of the Chapel.