Tour 3 : The paths of History : Castles, Chapels, Shrines

Leave Aix by the D17 in the direction of Le Tholonet, Beaurecueil, St-Antonin, the Sainte-Victoire mountain, the landscapes of Cézanne. At Puyloubier, take the D12 towards Trets. Cross the RN 7.

Puyloubier

Leave Aix by the D17 in the direction of Le Tholonet, Beaurecueil, St-Antonin, the Sainte-Victoire mountain, the landscapes of Cézanne.
In the Middle Ages the estate was partly owned by the Abbey of St Victor.
• St-Pons Parish Church: Romanesque style, completed in 1870.
• Chapel of St-Pancrace: child martyr and patron saint of children. Procession with «piade» ritual (blessing of the harvest)
• St-Ser Hermitage: site occupied by the hermit Ser who was martyred by the soldiers of Euric and had his ears cut off (485).
• The chapel was rebuilt and blessed in 2001.
• Pilgrimage on Pentecost Monday.
• Chapel of St-Roch, 14th century, with a rare 7th-century Merovingian altar.
• Church of Ste-Marie, 9th century, currently being restored. Appeared on a postage stamp in 2002. The town was awarded the national «Rubans du Patrimoine» prize in 2003.

Take the D12 in the direction of Trets. Cross the N7.

Trets

Trets was already inhabited in prehistoric times on Mont-Olympe. The city was founded by a Greek colony and invaded by the Saracens. Trets began its development in the Middle Ages, and was ruled by a succession of lords, from the Viscounts of Marseille to Thomassin de Peynier. The town is mediaeval in character, with old houses, narrow winding streets and vaulted arches.
Of special note:
• The feudal castle with its ramparts and its two square gate-towers.
• Church of Notre-Dame de Nazareth, a former priory in the Provençal Romanesque style, with gothic chapels.
• Chapel of St-Jean du Puy, an old hermitage isolated on a rocky peak at a height of 658 m, with a Romanesque apse and Gallo-Roman pillars.

Follow the N7 towards Peynier.

Peynier

 

The castle is the main architectural feature of the village. It was entirely rebuilt in the early 18th century and is now used as the premises of a private school.

The parish church of St Julien is built within the ramparts, and formed part of the first castle. First mentioned in 1079 (St Victor), it was partially rebuilt in the 12th century. Its orientation was reversed: the original choir, with the tower, is now the entrance. The elegant bell-tower overlooks the picturesque narrow streets of the village.

The chapel of St Pierre, a listed historical monument, stands behind the present cemetery on a small hill with far-reaching views. In 1098 it was the parish church, in the centre of the original village.

Follow the N7 towards Châteauneuf-le-Rouge.

Châteauneuf-le-Rouge

The XVI - XVIIth century château is a compromise between the estate’s farming industry and the pomp intrinsic to every aristocratic house-hold. Three main entrances lead out to a paved inner courtyard. The northern entrance leads under an archway into a passage where a spring flows constantly into a stone trough. Through the «state» courtyard, we arrive at the carriage gateway which opens up onto the park adorned with a maze made from box trees over a hundred years old, and rows of plane trees which are typical of any noble Provençal residence.

Take the N7 back towards Aix, then the N96 towards La Barque, and then Fuveau via the A52.

Fuveau

• Chapel of St-Michel, renovated in the 16th century, with Romanesque gate and dovecote.
• Chapel of St-Roch, built in 1729 in thanksgiving for protection against the plague of 1720.
• Chapel of St-Jean de Melissanne.
• Church of St-Michel, former chapel of the lord’s residence which it adjoins. It was rebuilt in 1853.
• The Bassac Gate in the mediaeval ramparts was the way in to the fortified village. The present construction dates from the 18th century.
• Oil mill, open on Heritage Days.
• Old Washhouse, built in 1873.

Follow the road to Aix via La Barque, and then continue on the D6 towards Gardanne, Meyreuil.

Meyreuil

On the RN7, level with the Clairefontaine service station, a path leads to the magnificent chapel of St-Marc-de-l’Arc (11th century). It replaces the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Mars.
In 1444, the chapel was enlarged by Lord André De Burle and became a place of pilgrimage on the Sunday following 25 April. In the village the church of Saint-Marc dates from 1689. The village has several shrines including the Sainte-Barbe shrine, situated at the mine’s pithead and the Saint-Marc shrine, in the Coteau Rouge area.

Return to Aix by the D58H, and follow «Pont des Trois Sautets».

See:
All tours - Tour 1 - Tour 2 - Tour 3 - Tour 4