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Origin and history

The castle of Murs, perched on the foothills of the Monts de Vaucluse, is a building built from the 12th to the 18th century. Its origins date back to the family of Agoult, the lords of Sault since 1004, which erected a fortified barracks with ramparts and a tower, now integrated into the western part of the 12th century. At that time, a modest church, surrounded by a cloister, served as both a seigneurial chapel and a parish church for the village on the slopes of Franqueau. The House Crillon, seigneurial house of the thirteenth century, welcomed the visiting lords, marking a first phase of residential development.

In the 15th century, the lands of Murs passed to Astouaud, which radically transformed the castle between the 15th and 16th centuries. They add a dungeon with a Gothic chapel and a justice room, as well as a Renaissance home adjacent to the Crillon House, restored for the occasion. This house, located outside the enclosure, housed the hosts and the seigneurial family, as evidenced by the birth of Crillon in 1543, son of a relative of the Lord. The Astouauds also mark the site of their emblem: the motto Foy Aquila and their coat of arms, affixed to the monumental wrought iron gate built in the 18th century by Jean-Baptiste François d-Astouaud, Marquis de Murs.

The decline of the castle began at the end of the 18th century, when the Astouauds abandoned it for their private hotel in Carpentras. The Revolution accelerated its degradation: looting and abandonment left it in ruins until the mid-19th century. Two brothers, Maximilian and Bruno Vayson, descendants of a local family, then undertook a long and meticulous restoration, preserving nevertheless a share of poetry, like the swallow nests painted by Paul Vayson on the ceilings. Work continued until the 20th century, giving the castle its present appearance, although private property remained inaccessible to the public.

Architecturally, the castle of Murs combines medieval defensive elements (crennel towers, enclosures) with Renaissance and classical additions (pointed roof pads, wrought iron gate decorated with statues and vases). Its history reflects the changes of seigneurial powers in Provence, from Agoult to Astouaud, before becoming a local heritage symbol thanks to the commitment of the Vayson families.

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