Saint-Martin-de-Castillon

Saint -Martin -de- Castillon is a commune with 753 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011 ) in the Vaucluse department in the Provence- Alpes- Côte d' Azur.

Geography

Saint -Martin -de- Castillon is located in the south-east of the department of Vaucluse, about nine kilometers east of the town of Apt. Neighboring municipalities are Viens in the northeast, Caseneuve, Saignon and Castellet in the West, as well as Cabrières- d'Aigues, La Motte- d'Aigues and Peypin- d'Aigues in the south. A part of the eastern boundary is formed by the community Céreste in the Alpes -de -Haute -Provence.

The municipality is part of the Luberon Regional Park. The southern part is occupied by the valley of the Calavon and the northern flank of the Grand Luberon, which is covered mainly by beech and white oak.

Traffic

Main road through the village is the route Departmental D900 (formerly the N100 ). Takes you on an east-west axis of Apt Céreste in the Alpes -de -Haute -Provence.

History

The name of the village appears for the first time in the year 835 as Abbatia S. Martini on. Already in the 6th century a Benedictine monastery had settled in the area.

The original village of Castillon, which was located about two miles from the present village was destroyed in 1540 during the Wars of Religion. The settlement was built on the site of the former Abbey of Saint -Martin again and won in the 17th century, the name Saint -Martin -de- Castillon. After that she was under the rule of the Diocese of Apt and the noble family Pontevès from Buoux. From 1724 until the French Revolution it belonged to the family of Baron Piguet.

During the Revolution, 1790, the inhabitants chose the name Luberon -la -Montagne to their community. Three years later, however, it was decided to again for the current name.

Population Development

The population of Saint -Martin -de- Castillon was the beginning of the 19th century, about twice as high as today, peaking in 1836 with 1625 inhabitants, its highest level. The increasing rural-urban migration as a result of industrialization ran until the mid-20th century for a continuous decline to 365 inhabitants in 1954 and was then able to easily pick up again.

Attractions

• Oppidum Courennes
• Remains of a Roman Minerva Altar
• Remains of the city wall
• Ruins of the medieval village and castle Agoult (11th century)
• Borien
• Romanesque parish church, 1820 revised
• Chapel of the White Penitents
• Chapel of Notre -Dame- d'Espérance in Ogivalstil (19th Century )
• Votive chapel St- Placide with bell tower ( 1720)
• Chapel of Notre -Dame-de - Courennes
• Former priory of St-Pierre in the Romanesque style