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Origin and history

The old castle of Mérindol, located in the Vaucluse, is a medieval fortress built in the early 13th century on a foothill of the Luberon Mountains, overlooking the Durance Valley. Its ruins, still visible today, include a 13th century enclosure, a chapel, a retreating dungeon, and the traces of an original castral village composed of a few houses. The site, listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments since 1997, illustrates Provencal defensive architecture, where the enclosure extended natural cliffs to reinforce symbolic and physical protection.

The seigneury of Mérindol was originally owned by Guy, Viscount of Cavaillon, vassal of the Count of Toulouse Raymond VII. In the 14th century, the castral village extended to about 40 houses, and the castral chapel became the parish church under the authority of a lord bishop. However, the pestilence of the mid-15th century decimated the population, leading to the abandonment of the castle as early as 1448. In 1504, a "deed of dwelling" was signed with 12 Vaudian families, reviving local life with a persecuted Protestant community.

In 1540, the village had 150 to 200 inhabitants, but the "Sac de Mérindol" in 1545, ordered by François I, marked a tragic turning point: execution of the Vaudois, dismantling of the fortress, and confiscation of property. Survivors fled to Geneva, and although the village was replenished, the castle was never rebuilt. A Waldensian memorial, inaugurated in 1978, today commemorates the Protestant victims, recalling their connection to the Reformed Church since 1532.

Architecturally, the castle follows a classic Provencal plan in three poles: dungeon-chapelle-premises, typical of the villages-castrum of Luberon. Access, protected by a long peripheral route, led to a poterne between the chapel and the tower. The excavations revealed ceramics from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, confirming these periods of occupation. The site, freely accessible, integrates with the tourist path "Merindol - Traces Vaudoises", promoted by the Regional Natural Parks.

After its destruction, the castle remains a symbol of religious persecution in Provence. Its history reflects tensions between royal Catholic power and Protestant communities, as well as the resilience of local populations. Today, its ruins and the memorial offer a poignant testimony of this turbulent past, while engulfing in a preserved natural landscape.

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