Discover the village of Fontaine de Vaucluse
The first traces of habitation show that the city has been inhabited since 979. It was then called "Vallis Clausa" which means "closed valley" and became Vaucluse. La Fontaine de Vaucluse is a typical village in Provence and attracts many people.
This picturesque site, one of the most beautiful villages in Provence, has also seduced many artists and poets: Seneca (Roman philosopher and statesman), Petrarch (14th century Italian poet), Frédéric Mistral (Provençal writer), as well as René Char, for example. The water source made the city prosperous, thanks in particular to the paper industry, which was a permanent and central activity until the 20th century. The paper mill has maintained a method of handmade paper production from the fifteenth century. Also to be seen and visited are the ruins of Bishops of Cavaillon's castle from the 14th century. The beauty of the site, so characteristic of Provençal villages, will enchant you, especially during walks along the Sorgue river.
The Fontaine de Vaucluse abyss
This magnificent medieval village on the edge of the Luberon is particularly famous for its impressive emerald green source. It springs from a 230-metre high cliff and remains one of the most visited natural sites in the Vaucluse. This gigantic fountain has the most powerful water flow in France (and the fifth largest in the world) with nearly 630 million cubic meters per year! Its abyss is more than 300 meters deep and is only accessible by underwater robots.
The secret of Fontaine de Vaucluse
The funnel-shaped chasm of the spring has not yet revealed the extent of its depth, but it isonly the first of many secrets it contains. We know that the source was already venerated in ancient times. Frédéric Mistral told us the mysterious legend of its origin. An old menestrier named Basile went to Isle sur Sorgue to make the girls of the city dance. He fell asleep in the shade, on the road to Vaucluse on a hot day. A nymph appeared to him, took his hand and led him to the edge of the basin from which the spring blossomed. Facing them, the water opened up and they were able to enter between the two liquid walls. Reaching the bottom of the abyss, the night suddenly stopped in the middle of a beautiful meadow covered with supernatural flowers and the nymph pointed out seven diamonds. By lifting one of them up, the water began to flow. Thus the nymph taught him the secret of the source. By removing the diamonds, she swells the spring and by removing the seventh, the water reaches the fig tree "which drinks only once a year". And suddenly, she disappeared by waking Basil.
Stay at the Fontaine de Vaucluse
Did we give you the idea to visit the village? What if, during your next holiday in Provence, you take a few days to visit and discover the surroundings of the Fontaine de Vaucluse? There are plenty of holiday rentals in the area: hotels, holiday residences, hotel apartments, holiday home rentals... You will have a multitude of choices for your stay!
