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Origin and history

The Saint-Jacques hermitage is a religious building located on the hill Saint-Jacques, overlooking the city of Cavaillon (Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur). This site, occupied since Prehistory, housed an oppidum celto-ligure of the Cavares, people having given its name to the city. The hill, originally called Mount Caveau, was renamed in the 12th century with reference to a chapel built on a possible temple dedicated to Jupiter. The present hermitage was founded in 1300 under the influence of the local chapter, and expanded in the 16th century.

The early chapel, dated the 12th century, presented a rectangular plan with an apse in arc of circle, built in limestone. A bell tower was added in 1377. In 1585, under the impulse of Caesar de Bus (founder of the Fathers of the Christian Doctrine), two eastern spans and a porch were added. The floor, covered with terracotta tiles, and limestone columns connect old and modern parts. The hermitage housed hermits continuously until 1804.

Ranked a historic monument on April 15, 1911, the hermitage benefited from two restoration campaigns: one in the 19th century by the Jouve family, and another in 1992. Owned by the municipality of Cavaillon, it bears witness to the architectural and spiritual evolution of the site, marked by successive occupations since ancient times. The hill, strategic, once dominated Durance, a major axis between the Rhône valley and the Alps.

Excavations and historical sources suggest that Mount Caveau was a pagan place of worship before its Christianization. The 12th century chapel, potentially built on a temple dedicated to Jupiter, illustrates this transition. The Hermitage then became a place of spiritual retreat, animated by the Fathers of the Christian Doctrine until the early 19th century. Today, it remains a symbol of Cavaillon's religious and historical heritage.

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