Luberon hill towns - Gordes and Bonnieux

Gordes

A few weekends ago we decided to visit traditional "hanging" villages in the Luberon valley.  We visited Gordes, the nearby Abbey de Senanque and the quaint village of Bonnieux.  

Our first stop was the Abbaye Notre-Dame-de-Senanque, an active Cistercian monestary, tucked into the steep Sénacole valley minutes from the town of Gordes.

Abbey Notre-Dame-de-Senanque

The Abbey was founded in 1148 by a group of Cistercian monks from the Ardèche region of France.  In 1544, the Abbey was destroyed during the Wars of Religion. By the end of the 17th Century there were only a few monks left at the Abbey. Throughout the next century, the Cistercian monks tried several times to reestablish life at the Abbey, but it wasn't until 1988 that monks from the Cistercian order at Lérins were successful.  

Today, you can visit the former dormitories, the chapter house, the cloisters and the church.  The buildings are great examples of somber Roman architecture used in Abbeys.  The high vaulted ceilings of the dormitory, the columns of the cloisters and the austere church are beautiful.  

The former dormitories

Sun filtering through the columns in the cloisters

View of the cloister gardens

The demon head on the right, is located outside the chapter house, where the Cistercian monks read the Saint Benoit monastery rules.

Although the lavender was not in bloom when we visited the Abbey, it is a large resource for the monks.  If you arrive in the beginning of July, the fields are flowering in purple blooms.  The lavender is cultivated to make oils and other products and the flowers provide the bees with pollen to make delicious lavender honey.  Check out their online shop to purchase monastery products.

Our next stop was the village of Gordes.  Home to movie stars, artists, politicians and businessmen, Gordes is decidedly one of the loveliest villages in the area.  Personally, I find it to be a bit out of my price range. I enjoyed walking in the steep narrow streets admiring the beautiful stacked stone walls. It was fun walking past the posh hotel with fancy dressed valets. We went into a few stores and I spied a beautifully made, hand-crafted purse that was gorgeous and very expensive.  

Besides the beautiful merchandise, cars and stores, the view of the village and from the village is fantastic.  We walked up the narrow street and entered the church of Saint Firmin.

You can just see the church in the top of the photo.
You can see "les calades" in the street.  This is Provençal for the way the street is made.

Altar

 

The church, originally dedicated to Notre Dame, was built between the 11th and 12th centuries.  It was later enlarged in the 18th century and dedicated to Saint-Firmin, the bishop of Uzès. 

Jeanne D'Arc

I liked the interior of this church because of the muted colors on the walls. 

There are two separate chapels within the church:

Chapel Saint-Eloi, dedicated to the patron saint of blacksmiths and locksmiths and Chapel Saint-Crespin dedicated to the patron saint of cobblers.

 

War memorial - WWI and WWII

Château de Gordes

Bonnieux

After lunch we headed off to discover Bonnieux, another great Luberon "hanging village".  I love it when the towns we visit have historical markers.  Our first stop was Rue Voltaire, the sign talks about the fountain, the Jewish Passage and the Emile Appy house.

The fountain behind Sophia is said to have had the best water (or absinthe) ever! The sign says that it is attached to the house and dates to the 14th or 15th century.

The Jewish passage was very interesting because this is where the Jews were locked in at night.  They had special ecclesiastic jurisdiction but all that changed in 1656 when they were ordered to leave.

Passage de la juiverie

Some people have a funny sense of humor!  We walked down this dark, creepy passage.  The sign says that you can see all sorts of ruins from the house that was built on the ramparts.  It is true, there were all sorts of little doors and vaulted ceilings.

Walking up the hill, we found the sign that explains the history of the Hôtel de Ville - Town Hall.

It originally was owned by an important Bonnieux family and it became the City Hall in 1859.

We continued our journey to the old church on the top of the hill.  Before we arrived there was a fantastic view of the valley.

Bell tower 

Views of Mount Ventoux - Remember what this looks like because next week, when I talk about this mountain I will not have any great pictures because it rained all day!

Stairs to the old church

Buttresses and flowers - I love how these flowers are growing in the supporting structure of the old church.

The church was not open.
There is a newer church in the lower village that is used by the residents.  The Old Church or High Church - 429 meters high is the church of Saint Savior.  The sign says that there is currently an association that is working to save and restore the church.

We continued past the church and found some other interesting things to look at but they didn't all have signs.

Sanctuary

Large iron cross not far from the Old Church

We liked the line up of kairns.  Sophia added her own. 

It took us several times to get the video right.  We were surprised how much noise a small little pebble could make when we dropped it in the well.

Our last stop in Bonnieux was the Dolphin Fountain or Grand Fountain.  You can see the fountain in the picture.  Nothing has changed.  In the background, you can see the wall heading up towards the Old Church.  Under the ramp there is a lavoir or public washing spot.  Sophia loved cooling off in the fountain!

What a day! We explored and saw so much.  We stopped at a café for refreshments before going home.  Next time we're going to get ice cream!!!