The Dentelles de Montmirail are a small chain of mountains in

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, in the ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

'' of

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.Vaison-la-Romaine. They are foothills of the highest peak in Provence,

Mont Ventoux Mont Ventoux (; oc, Ventor, label= Provençal ) is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the department of Drôme. At , it is the highest ...

, which is situated just to the east. The dramatically jagged shape of their peaks was formed by horizontal strata of

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

being folded and forced into a nearly upright position and subsequently eroded into sharp-edged ridges and spikes. The highest peak of the Dentelles is St-Amand, at 734 m (2,400 ft). The range, which is about 8 km wide, offers over 600 trails for walking, rock climbing, and mountain biking. The foot of the Dentelles is surrounded by vineyards of the

Rhône Valley The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At ...

Etymology

Their name ''dentelles'', the French word for lace, refers to their shape obtained by erosion, while ''Montmirail'' is derived from the Latin ''mons mirabilis'' meaning 'admirable mountain'.

History

Located on the territory of the communes of

Beaumes-de-Venise Beaumes-de-Venise (; oc, Baumas de Venisa) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Name The word "beaumes" comes from the Provençal word ''bauma'' meaning "cave" or "grotto". T ...

Crestet Crestet (; oc, Lo Crestet) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Château de Crestet * Dentelles de Montmirail * Communes of the Vaucluse department The follow ...

Gigondas Gigondas (; oc, Gigondàs) is a commune in the Vaucluse ''département'' in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography Gigondas lies in between Vacqueyras and Sablet at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail moun ...

La Roque-Alric La Roque-Alric (; oc, La Ròca Alric) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography Placed on a rocky outcrop, La Roque-Alric is in the centre of the Dentelles de Montmirai ...

Lafare Lafare (; oc, La Fara) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Dentelles de Montmirail *Communes of the Vaucluse department The following is a list of the 151 co ...

Le Barroux Le Barroux (; oc, Lo Barós) is a village and commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It had a population of 629 in 2017. History Its current name derives from the Latin ''Albaru ...

Malaucène Malaucène (; oc, Malaucena) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography Malaucène is a typical provençal village located in Provence (South of France) at the foot of Mon ...

Suzette Suzette (; oc, Suseta) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Dentelles de Montmirail *Communes of the Vaucluse department The following is a list of the 151 co ...

, and

Vacqueyras Vacqueyras (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Vacqueyras is also the name of an Appellation for a wine from the Côtes du Rhône. Geography Access Departmental R ...

; the Dentelles de Montmirail were an important natural frontier during Antiquity between the tribes of the Memini in the south, and the Voconces in the north.Rouquette, Jean-Maurice (1974) ''Provence romane'' 1st ed. Zodiaque coll. ''La nuit des temps'' p. 168.

References

External links

''Les Dentelles de Montmirail''
Mountain ranges of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Landforms of Vaucluse {{Vaucluse-geo-stub

Etymology

History

References

Further reading

External links