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Gordes Market day is Tuesday mornings, in the village square, where you can stock up on the best local produce, crafts and fabrics. The
village is dominated by its church and castle, ancient symbols
of the fight against invading armies. Even in World War 2, Gordes
suffered terribly, much of the village was destroyed and the populace
massacred. The whole village was awarded the Croix de Guerre medal.
Chateau de Gordes - Gordes Castle The imposing Chateau de Gordes was built 500 years ago on the site of a 12th century fortress, and has a fine Renaissance door at the entrance, and inside a magnificent Renaissance fireplace, one of the biggest in France. Today the castle is home to the Pol Mara museum, a contemporary Flemish painter who lived in Gordes, and the tourist information office. In summer there are concerts in the chateau's courtyard.
Abbaye de Senanque - Senanque Abbey Just outside Gordes is the medieval monastery l'Abbaye de Senanque. This is quite possibly the most photographed monastery in the world because in June and July the flowering lavender fields around it are so spectacular that you cannot walk past it without shooting off a roll of film. Senanque, 150 years in the making, is also much more interesting than your average monastery because it is a proper working monastery and you can explore almost all of it. The monks make honey, lavender oils and liqueurs.
Village des bories - bories village Also next to Gordes is a mysterious village of stone, beehive-shaped huts called bories. These are dry-stone 'igloos' with walls 4 feet thick. The village des bories has been around for many centuries, and is known to have been inhabited until the early 1800s. It is not really known what they were used for, but perhaps shepherd's huts or plague shelters. The bories village has a dozen bories, and is the largest collection of them anywhere, although bories are visible throughout the region - some 3,000 of them. It's a good place to visit for adults and children alike.
Chateau
de Gordes Village
des Bories Abbaye
de Senanque |
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