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Origin and history

The castle of Fargues found its origins in the early 14th century, linked to the arrival of Pope Clement V in Avignon in 1309. His nephew, Raymond Guilhem de Fargis, cardinal and beneficiary of land in the region, could be at the origin of the estate, although his exact role in the building of the castle remains uncertain. When he died in 1346, the Holy See probably recovered the estate, but there is no evidence that he was its builder. The archives are missing for this period, in particular because the castle is not mentioned during the visit of the cardinalcies in 1343.

In the 14th century, the estate passed into the hands of Jacques de Dinocio, then Georges de Ricci, co-signor of Vedène, who had the castle built or completed before 1395. His son, François de Ricci, inherited it, but in 1433 Cardinal Pierre de Foix, a papal legate, requisitioned the castle during the siege of Avignon, making its headquarters. Local conflicts and power struggles marked this period, until Mathieu de Ricci, familiar with the cardinal, recovered the estate in 1441 and undertook repairs.

The following centuries saw the castle change hands through family alliances and inheritances. In 1478 Françoise de Ricci married Spinot de Gardini, a trustee of Avignon, who enlarged the castle and hosted the city council during epidemics. In 1536, during the eighth Italian war, French troops of Francis I looted and burned the castle, destroying archives and testimonies. François de Gardini, then owner, asked unsuccessfully for reparations to the king.

The De Cambis family acquired the estate in the 17th century and brought there amenities, such as a chapel dedicated to Sainte-Marie in 1653. Joseph-Louis de Cambis, Marquis de Velleron and naval officer, had the castle renovated between 1717 and 1727. However, the French Revolution marked a turning point: Jean-Jacques de Vidaud de la Tour, the last lord, was guillotined in 1794, and the castle, abandoned, served as a farm in the nineteenth century.

In the 20th century, the estate was fragmented and partly sold to the municipality of Pontet, created in 1925. In the 1970s, the castle, then in ruins, was restored and classified as a historical monument in 1982. Today, it houses the city's cultural service, a dance conservatory, and hosts exhibitions and events, perpetuating its central role in local life.

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