The Vaucluse Mountains (French: ''Monts de Vaucluse'') are a mountain range of the

French Prealps The French Prealps ( ); are a group of subalpine mountain ranges of medium elevation located immediately west of the French Alps. They roughly stretch from Lake Geneva southwest to the rivers Isère and Drôme; east to a line running from Chamo ...

located in the departement of

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; 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.

, between the

Luberon Massif The Luberon ( or ; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is a massif in central Provence in Southern France, part of the French Prealps. It has a maximum elevation of and an area of about . It is composed of three mounta ...

and

Mont Ventoux Mont Ventoux (; ) 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 mountain in the region and h ...

. The highest peak is Signal de Saint-Pierre, which reaches the height of .

Location and topography

Oriented east-west, the Toulourenc river and the Jabron torrent border the mountain range to the north, to the south by the

Calavon The Calavon (; also called ''le Coulon'') is an long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse '' départements'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is a massif in central Provence in Southern France, part of the French Prealps. It has a maximum elevation of and an area of about . It is composed of three mounta ...

, to the west and north-west by the

Comtat Venaissin The (; ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States from 1274 to 1791, in what is now the region of Southern France. The region was an enclave within the Kingdom of France, comprising the area aroun ...

plain, and to the east it extends nearly all the way to the

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Mont Ventoux Mont Ventoux (; ) 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 mountain in the region and h ...

, '' Les Dentelles de Montmirail'' (The Laces of Montmirail), which has an altitude of , take their name from the shape obtained by the erosion of the rock. The

Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is a massif in central Provence in Southern France, part of the French Prealps. It has a maximum elevation of and an area of about . It is composed of three mounta ...

regional natural park extends to the southern part of the massif.

Main mountain peaks

, , highest point of the massif * , * Sommet de l'Homme, * Contras, * Le Tréboux, * Montagne d'Albion, * Signal de Saint-Pierre, * Colline de Berre, * Le Buisseron, * La Grand-Montagne, * Le Cluyer, * Le Pointu,

Geology and hydrography

The massif is made up of

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, often

permeable Permeability, permeable, and semipermeable may refer to: Chemistry *Drug permeability *Semipermeable membrane, a membrane which will allow certain molecules or ions to pass through it by diffusion *Vascular permeability, the movement of fluids a ...

. The water sinks into the rock, creating underground networks (

karstic Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some eviden ...

system), emerging at low points such as the Fontaine de Vaucluse. There are numerous sinkholes, some of the deepest being: * ''Le Souffleur'' in Saint-Christol () * ''Caladaïre'', near Montsalier () * ''L'aven Autran'' () in Saint-Christol * ''L'aven Jean Nouveau''Paul Courbon, « L'exploration solitaire du Jean Nouveau, mai 1972 »
on ''chroniques-souterraines'', 2016 * ''L'aven du Cavalon'' * ''La source des Brieux'' * ''L'aven des Mûres''

Municipalities of the Vaucluse mountains

There are numerous towns located on the Vaucluse mountains. The 72,660 ha in Vaucluse is put forward with an impressive afforestation rate of up to 40%, and that is only if you consider the following municipalities: Apt,

Beaumettes Beaumettes (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography The village lies on the right bank of the Calavon, which forms all of the commune's southern border. See also * ...

Cabrières-d'Avignon Cabrières-d'Avignon (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. History The Château and the village were the scene of the massacre in 1545 of about 700 Vaudois, or Waldensians ...

Caseneuve Caseneuve (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography The river Calavon forms the commune's south-western border. See also *Communes of the Vaucluse department *Luber ...

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (; or simply ) is a commune in the southeastern French department of Vaucluse. Its name comes from the spring of the same name; the name Vaucluse itself comes from the Latin phrase ''vallis clausa'' or "closed valley". He ...

, Gargas, Gignac,

Gordes Gordes (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The residents are known as ''Gordiens.'' The nearest big city is Avignon; smaller cities nearby include Cavaillon, L'Isle-s ...

Goult Goult (; Occitan: ''Gòud'') is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2021, it had a population of 1,080. The village is perched on a hill with a solitary road to the peak. Near ...

Joucas Joucas (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The town is located on the perimeter of the Parc naturel régional du Luberon. Geography Located between two of the "most beau ...

La Roque-sur-Pernes La Roque-sur-Pernes (, literally ''La Roque on Pernes''; Occitan: ''La Ròca de Pèrnas'') is a commune in the southeastern French department of Vaucluse. In 2020, it had a population of 417. History After the Second World War hundreds of Ban ...

Lagnes Lagnes (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also *Communes of the Vaucluse department The following is a list of the 151 communes of the Vaucluse department of ...

Le Beaucet Le Beaucet (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The village is located southeast of Carpentras, at the western end of the Monts de Vaucluse. See also *Communes of the Vau ...

Lioux Lioux (''Liuç'' in Occitan) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also *Communes of the Vaucluse department *Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ...

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (; or ) is a town and Communes of France, commune on the Sorgue river in Southeastern France. Politically, the commune is in the arrondissement of Avignon within the Departments of France, department of Vaucluse, in the Re ...

Méthamis Méthamis (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also *Communes of the Vaucluse department The following is a list of the 151 communes of the Vaucluse department ...

Murs Murs may refer to: People * Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs (1804-1878), French ornithologist * Olly Murs (born 1984), English singer-songwriter * Murs (rapper) (born 1978), American rapper Places * Murs, Indre, France * Murs, Vaucluse, Fr ...

Oppedette Oppedette is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The commune is traversed by the river Calavon. Population See also * Luberon *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The f ...

Pernes-les-Fontaines Pernes-les-Fontaines (; officially Pernes until 1936; Occitan: ''Pèrnas dei Fònts'' or simply ''Pèrnas'') is a commune in the southeastern French department of Vaucluse. Population Its inhabitants are called ''Pernois'' and ''Pernoises'' i ...

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; , ; ) was a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and French Cerdagne, part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the region of ' ...

, Rustrel, Saint-Didier,

Sainte-Croix-à-Lauze Sainte-Croix-à-Lauze (; Provençal: ''Santa Crotz d'Alausa'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a lis ...

, Saint-Pantaléon,

Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt (, "St Saturnin near Apt"; Provençal Occitan: ''Sant Savornin d'Ate'', before 1987: ''Saint-Saturnin d'Apt'')Saumane-de-Vaucluse,

Velleron Velleron (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Vaucluse department The following is a list of the 151 communes of the Vaucluse ...

Venasque Venasque (; ; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. The area has many ...

, Viens et Villars... but various municipalities or parts of municipalities, such as Aurel,

Monieux Monieux (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography The commune of Monieux is located on the plateau of the Mounts of Vaucluse, near to the commune of Sault. It shelt ...

, Saint-Christol, Sault, etc.

Distribution of population

The Vaucluse mountains are a plateau with a low density of inhabitants outside of villages and hamlets. Several perched villages are found on the southern hillsides. Some examples are the municipalities of

and

Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt (, "St Saturnin near Apt"; Provençal Occitan: ''Sant Savornin d'Ate'', before 1987: ''Saint-Saturnin d'Apt'')Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period. The territory was occupied by several Celtic-Ligurian tribes. Numerous oppidums can be found on the foothills of the massif. The Romans used the Fontaine de Vaucluse. Until the middle of the 3rd century, the major regional industry was that of iron, with rich soils in

, Gargas, Rustrel, and several other towns. There are artisanal stoves from

to the ones in

Simiane-la-Rotonde Simiane-la-Rotonde (; ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population Geography The commune is traversed by the river Calavon. See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The ...

. In the 11th century, “ ''castrums''” were created (perched fortifications around which villages developed). With the arrival of the popes in

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

, the culture of

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

was introduced to the region. Gradually, the culture of

mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...

developed, and its leaves served as food for the

silkworms ''Bombyx mori'', commonly known as the domestic silk moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. Silkworms are the larvae of silk moths. The silkworm is of ...

. The religious wars affected some of the villages on the southern foothills of the massif.

thus got razed during the massacre of the Vaudois of the Luberon. Between 1720 and 1722 the papal army tried to prevent the Marseilles plague from invading the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

by building plague walls south of the Vaucluse mountains, in

, and

. On August 12 1793, the department of Vaucluse was created, consisting of the districts of

and

Carpentras Carpentras (, formerly ; Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Carpentràs'' in classical norm or ''Carpentras'' in Mistralian norm; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the ...

, but also those of

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

and Apt, which previously belonged to the

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( ; , ; ; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a Departments of France, department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var (department), Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the sout ...

department, as well as the canton of Sault, which belonged to the

Basses-Alpes Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (sometimes abbreviated as AHP; ; ; ), formerly until 1970 known as Basses-Alpes (, ), is a Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes ...

. The mountainous area helped early resistance and many households during the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

. On November 11 1948, several municipalities in the Vaucluse mountains, such as

(silver star degree) or Sault (silver-gilt star degree) received the

Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort d ...

. In April 1965, due to its low population density and its soil, the Albion plateau was chosen for the installation of nuclear silos. Only 18 silos and 2 fire control stations (PCT) were built (budget restriction) out of the 27 silos and 3 fire control stations that were initially planned (early 1966), i.e. air base (BA200). The construction work ended in 1971. In September 1996, President

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

announced the closure and dismantling of the Albion facilities, due to the evolution of the European geostrategy ( fall of the Eastern bloc). Furthermore the aging of missiles were too expensive to maintain, and it was judged unnecessary to upgrade them.

Activities

Very well known for its cultivation of lavender, the economy of the plateau is essentially oriented towards agriculture (

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...

spelt Spelt (''Triticum spelta''), also known as dinkel wheat is a species of wheat. It is a relict crop, eaten in Central Europe and northern Spain. It is high in protein and may be considered a health food. Spelt was cultivated from the Neolit ...

and other types of cereals, goat breeding, etc.) and tourism (eco-friendly camping,

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

caving Caving, also known as spelunking (United States and Canada) and potholing (United Kingdom and Ireland), is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is the scientific ...

, the Lavender Route...).

References

{{Coord, 44.1744, N, 5.2789, E, source:wikidata, display=title Landforms of Vaucluse Mountain ranges of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia