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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Vialle de Grillon is an architectural complex located in the heart of the village of Grillon, in the department of Vaucluse, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. This original and historic area dates back to the Middle Ages and stands at the top of a hill, offering a dominant view of the Lez valley. It embodies the original core of the village, with architectural traces dating from the 14th, 16th, 18th and 19th centuries.

The site, in ruins in the 20th century, was the subject of a protection project initiated in 1971 by architect Georges-Henri Pingusson, then on holiday in the region. The latter led the rehabilitation of homes, transforming part of the buildings into 18 HLM housing units. However, the designation of historic monuments was only formalized on 7 September 1978, shortly before his death. The Vialle consists of four iconic houses, including the House of the Three Arcs and the House of the Boulanger, as well as a municipal library installed in the Milon House.

The belfry, the central element of the site, illustrates a marked architectural evolution. Its current structure incorporates an elevation of the sixteenth century, with a cradle vault housing a clock, surmounted by a terrace and a ironware campanile. The archives reveal that the clock mechanism, ordered in 1587, was installed only in 1599 on the church bell tower, for lack of completion of the tower. In 1778, the clock was raised by 4 meters to place it permanently, while in 1891 a restoration included a new clock bought from Pierre Branson, watchmaker of Sorgues.

The facades and roofs of the four houses (including the cadastral plots AB 206, 207, 210, 274, 280) and the belfry were protected by decree of 7 September 1978. Today owned by the municipality, the site combines medieval heritage and modern rehabilitation, testifying both to local history and to the challenges of preservation of the twentieth century.

The Vialle de Grillon is part of a wider architectural landscape, characteristic of the villages perched in Provence. These ensembles, often organized around a high defensive point, reflect a community life focused on agriculture, crafts (like the bakery evoked by the Boulanger house), and local exchanges. The presence of the belfry, symbol of communal autonomy, underlines the importance of temporal and social landmarks in these rural societies of the Ancien Régime.

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