The Mediæval castle of Vaison-la-Romaine
The city of Vaison-la-Romaine was, unsurprisingly, built by the Romans, but only in part. In fact, it features two very different built-up areas: one leisurely laid out on flat land, and the other holding on tight to a tall and dominating rocky outcrop, on the other bank of River Ouvèze, which is spanned by a Roman bridge. And the history of Vaison is largely that of a going back and forth between those two areas.
The very first inhabitants of Vaison, pre-Roman conquest, prudently settled on the mountain. Traces of Neolithic occupation were found on its steep slopes. Confident in the Pax Romana they were bringing with them, the Romans settled comfortably in the plain, by the banks of the Ouvèze, and began building a lovely and remarkable city, of which many famous ruins remain. Then the invasions of Barbarians from the East, and Saracens from the South, drove the people back onto the mountain, where they took many of the Roman cut stones of the lower city to fortify, defend and build ramparts, homes and churches. It is not really until the 19th century that they deemed safe to go back down again and re-settle the Antique part of the city, building frenetically over Roman ruins. This being before the time of “pre-emptive archæological digs”, many such ruins are undoubtedly forever buried under the elegant homes of the 1800s Vaison.
The Château comtal (i.e., “Castle of the Counts”) we are visiting is a symbol of the centuries-long feud between the sacred and the secular —the former, we must admit, being largely the main culprit: while it is true that secular powers oftentimes tried to encroach upon the religious (for example by trying to usurp and appropriate the right to appoint bishops, abbots or abbesses), the clerical powers-that-be were equally, if not more often liable to try and meddle in, and establish their rule over, profane affairs and management of what we would call today “civilian” life.
In Vaison, bishop Bertrand de Mornas was guilty of such an appropriation and was consequently driven away by force in 1160 by Raymond V of Toulouse, the Toulouse family being the local overlords at the time. The next bishop, Bertrand de Lambesc, re-took the town in 1178 but let Raymond’s troops station on the mountaintop. There, true to form, they built a wooden fort in 1183 to symbolize their domination; it is the ancestor of the castle we still see today. In 1185, the then-bishop, Bérenger de Reillanne, burned that fort. Count Raymond sent his troops back right away, once again driving the bishop away. Between 1190 and 1193, they built a stone castle impervious to fire. :o)
The castle is not open to the public, as there are some spaces that are dangerous. The municipality, which owns the monument, has been working for quite a while in the perspective of opening it one day. Securing the ways to access is also a big challenge, as the whole mountaintop, including the bedrock, is listed as a Historic Landmark. Therefore, nothing can be touched unless declassified —an administrative nightmare— and I verified for myself that getting there can be very tricky, slippery and risky. The way cannot be publicly endorsed as is, oit would bring a slew of law suits against the town. I was permitted access inside in my capacity as pro bono photographer for the Fondation du Patrimoine.
The great hall shown yesterday lies along a north-south orientation. This is the northern end of it, where food was prepared (or at least kept hot after having been brought from the adjoining kitchen). There was a fireplace up against the wall, and what you see here is the chimney that remains.
The Mediæval castle of Vaison-la-Romaine
The city of Vaison-la-Romaine was, unsurprisingly, built by the Romans, but only in part. In fact, it features two very different built-up areas: one leisurely laid out on flat land, and the other holding on tight to a tall and dominating rocky outcrop, on the other bank of River Ouvèze, which is spanned by a Roman bridge. And the history of Vaison is largely that of a going back and forth between those two areas.
The very first inhabitants of Vaison, pre-Roman conquest, prudently settled on the mountain. Traces of Neolithic occupation were found on its steep slopes. Confident in the Pax Romana they were bringing with them, the Romans settled comfortably in the plain, by the banks of the Ouvèze, and began building a lovely and remarkable city, of which many famous ruins remain. Then the invasions of Barbarians from the East, and Saracens from the South, drove the people back onto the mountain, where they took many of the Roman cut stones of the lower city to fortify, defend and build ramparts, homes and churches. It is not really until the 19th century that they deemed safe to go back down again and re-settle the Antique part of the city, building frenetically over Roman ruins. This being before the time of “pre-emptive archæological digs”, many such ruins are undoubtedly forever buried under the elegant homes of the 1800s Vaison.
The Château comtal (i.e., “Castle of the Counts”) we are visiting is a symbol of the centuries-long feud between the sacred and the secular —the former, we must admit, being largely the main culprit: while it is true that secular powers oftentimes tried to encroach upon the religious (for example by trying to usurp and appropriate the right to appoint bishops, abbots or abbesses), the clerical powers-that-be were equally, if not more often liable to try and meddle in, and establish their rule over, profane affairs and management of what we would call today “civilian” life.
In Vaison, bishop Bertrand de Mornas was guilty of such an appropriation and was consequently driven away by force in 1160 by Raymond V of Toulouse, the Toulouse family being the local overlords at the time. The next bishop, Bertrand de Lambesc, re-took the town in 1178 but let Raymond’s troops station on the mountaintop. There, true to form, they built a wooden fort in 1183 to symbolize their domination; it is the ancestor of the castle we still see today. In 1185, the then-bishop, Bérenger de Reillanne, burned that fort. Count Raymond sent his troops back right away, once again driving the bishop away. Between 1190 and 1193, they built a stone castle impervious to fire. :o)
The castle is not open to the public, as there are some spaces that are dangerous. The municipality, which owns the monument, has been working for quite a while in the perspective of opening it one day. Securing the ways to access is also a big challenge, as the whole mountaintop, including the bedrock, is listed as a Historic Landmark. Therefore, nothing can be touched unless declassified —an administrative nightmare— and I verified for myself that getting there can be very tricky, slippery and risky. The way cannot be publicly endorsed as is, oit would bring a slew of law suits against the town. I was permitted access inside in my capacity as pro bono photographer for the Fondation du Patrimoine.
The great hall shown yesterday lies along a north-south orientation. This is the northern end of it, where food was prepared (or at least kept hot after having been brought from the adjoining kitchen). There was a fireplace up against the wall, and what you see here is the chimney that remains.