Issue No. 25

As you wind your way across the plains of the Vaucluse in Provence (all olive groves,
lavender and vineyards), you see Oppède le Vieux hanging above you on the north
face of the Petit Luberon. It looks haunting and beautiful says Lucy Pitts...
The rise…
Oppède le Vieux dates back to at least the
12th century. At the very top of the village
stand the remains of a medieval castle and a
formidable Romanesque church. The castle
was at first home to the Counts of Toulouse,
then the papacy in the 13th century and
thereafter to the blood thirsty Jean Maynier,
Baron of Oppède in the 16th century. The
latter used Oppède’s strategic positioning to
wage war and it’s believed he was
responsible for the massacre of 3,000
people including women, children and the
elderly.
And fall
Notwithstanding its occupants, the village
thrived as a 900 strong farming community
for several hundred years. But by the end of
the 17th century, the castle had been
abandoned and slowly the residents began
to move down to Oppède-les-Poulivets in
the valley below. Houses on the side of the
mountain are damp here, and the Luberon
castes a long shadow, especially in winter. By
1909, with the main village hall relocated to
the valley, nature was left to reclaim the
village.
And then the revival
But for World War II, that would have
probably been the end of Oppède le Vieux.
But in 1940, attracted by its secluded
position, a small community of creatives
moved into the village to escape persecution
by the occupying forces. The community
eventually grew to about 50, including the
architect Bernard Zehrfuss, French sculptor
François Stahly and the writer and artist
Consuelo de Saint Exupéry.
Although, as others had before them, the
creatives too eventually moved out. But, if
you look carefully, you’ll see the odd painted
wall as proof they were here. And today,
people are starting to move back.