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Origin and history

The castle of Mirabeau, perched on a spur overlooking the village, has its origins in the 12th century, although the current building was built at the end of the 16th century by Jean Riqueti, the purchaser of the seigneury in 1570. This castle, renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries, combines medieval defensive elements with elegant residential amenities, reflecting the architectural and social evolution of its occupants. It became the symbol of the power of the Riqueti family, which marked local and national history.

In the 12th century, Mirabeau was a fiefdom of Forcalquier County, before passing under the influence of the lords of Sabran and then of the Barras. The castle was the residence of prominent personalities such as Victor Riqueti, Marquis de Mirabeau, economist and philosopher of the Enlightenment, and his son Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Count of Mirabeau, a revolutionary tribune. The castle, seized during the Revolution, was restored in the 19th century by the Countess of Martel, a great niece of Mirabeau, before being sold to the Barrès family in 1907.

The Mirabeau site, strategic since Antiquity, controlled a key passage of the Durance, as evidenced by the Gallo-Roman and medieval remains surrounding. The castle, emptied of its furniture in 1792, experienced periods of abandonment before being bought and partially restored. Its history reflects the political and social upheavals of Provence, from religious wars to the French Revolution, to the economic boom of the 18th century.

The village of Mirabeau, located at the confluence of four departments, was a commercial and military crossroads, thanks to its bridge over the Durance, destroyed and rebuilt several times. The castle, although less known than its illustrious occupants, remains an architectural testimony of the transformations of the Provencal nobility, between seigneurial power and political commitment.

Today, Mirabeau Castle, although privately owned, embodies the legacy of a family that played a central role in the history of France. Its architecture, combining medieval austerity and classical refinement, as well as its spectacular location in the Durance gorges, make it an emblematic monument of the Valencian heritage.

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