Architectural jewels

 

The Aqueduct of Lagrand

From the roundabout of Lagrand (municipality of Garde-Colombe), follow the road towards the village of Saléon, on the right after the campsite leave the main road and follow the pedestrian path that indicates the aqueduct. You will admire this remarkable 65m long work of art above the torrent of the Céans. It dates from the 19th century and was used as a watering canal intended to irrigate the plain of Saléon. A significant hydraulic heritage exists in Lagrand thanks to its confluence of rivers and its groundwater table. You will also find a fountain called Calade with its covered wash house and its bridge over the Buëch river.
 

The Castle of Mison

From its mull, it dominates the Buëch valley; the castle of Mison since the 13th century belonged to the Counts of Provence. It shows a large enclosure with two opposite doors, the remains are preserved on 2 floors suggesting a military and residential organization; the interior is filled with an embankment. Since 2005, the site is regularly restored. This former fortress overlooks the old village of Mison and offers a beautiful view from its 638 m of altitude! Following the marked paths allow you to walk all the way around it.
 

The dovecotes

You will see many dovecotes in the Baronnies... Breeding pigeons was an old privilege granted by the Princes of Orange to the inhabitants of the Orpierre’s Barony. They erected dovecotes on their roofs or in open fields, far from the large trees that can shelter raptors, and protected from the wind, at least 50 m away from the road.
These curious little houses, 7 to 8 m high have a raised roof of 50 cm on 3 sides, in order to offer a resting place out of reach of the birds of prey. The glazed tiles around the entrances prevent access to predators such as weasels, rats or raptors.

 

I discover with images

 

Arzeliers and its castle

Cradle of the municipality of Laragne, the hamlet of Arzeliers, has been inhabited since the 12th century; it was part of the possessions of the Mevouillon family. The small St Marcellin church, restored in 2000, welcomes you in the current village, which offers a magnificent panorama on the neighbor hilltop villages. In 1230, Arzeliers had a thousand inhabitants, scattered in farms, or grouped around its fortified castle that was destroyed at the end of the 16th century, during the religion wars. The seigniory of Laragne originated from this major site of the area during the 12th-14th centuries. The remnants of the castle and dungeon, those of the chapel and several homes rebuilt in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries on the site of the medieval village are to be seen. From the height, the most beautiful panoramas of the region from the valley of the Céans in the west, to that of the Durance in the east, the cluse of Sisteron and the Laragne basin to the south and the slopes of the Saint-Genis mountain to the north is worth seeing. The interest of the site has been recognized by the Regional Natural Park of Baronnies Provencal which, in its charter, designated the castle and the old village of Arzeliers as ”remarkable hilltop heritage”.
 

FOCUS ON...
The wash house of Font du Jacquet

One of the sources that flow into the Durance-River is located in Saint-Geniez and feeds this wash-house. Its large basin is flanked by 3 walls that supported until 1960 a single pitch roof. It has just been restored!

 

The Sigoyer castle

The site offers an exceptional panoramic view on the Durance valley and went through the great events of history: the great flow of the Crusaders of Languedoc and Provence, the return of Napoleon from the Island of Elba… In front of the church, an orientation table describes this remarkable point of view. On the village square, a permanent and free interactive terminal offers a virtual view of its rebuilding of the castle and recounts its history since the construction of its tower-dungeon, until its destruction under the Revolution.
 

The millstone and the five-piece stone fountain of Gigors

Gigors was once the religious center of the priory of the 4 castles, depending on the monastery of St. Victor de Marseille. The village has two original remains: :
- a 5-piece fountain dating from 1829. The inhabitants would have bought it from their lord by paying its weight in wheat.
- a Roman millstone unique in the department whose principle was already known in Roman’s times for grinding cereals.

Did you know ?

Almost everywhere on our territories, gypsum we extracted to make plaster. During your hikes, if you observe, you may be able to see the remains of ancient semi-circular plaster ovens, hidden in the vegetation. In Caire, there are remains of an old factory and in Clamensane, a grinding area, an oven and small bagging rooms are still working. Plaster, was used and/or sold in particular to bind stone walls, for the plaster of the facades and walls, in finish coat... The inhabitants of Caire deserved the nick name of "gypassiés".

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Sisteron Buëch

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