Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of the Baux-de-Provence, erected in the 11th century for the lords of Baux, became a central place of medieval Provence, marked by the Baussenque wars (1142–1162) for the succession of the county. The ruling family, powerful but often in conflict, made it a symbol of political and cultural resistance, despite repeated destruction.

From 1372 to 1399, Raymond de Turenne, uncle of Alix des Baux, dominated the place and challenged the County of Provence and the Papacy of Avignon. In 1393, Marie de Blois, regent of Naples, organized a massive siege with 6,000 men led by Admiral Jean de Vienne. Despite months of blockade and colossal spending (10,000 guilders promised for the capture of Turenne), the castle resists, revealing the divisions of the besiegers and defensive ingenuity of the Baux, like the three wooden rolling towers built to counter the rescue.

The conflict ended with a strategic marriage: in December 1393, Antoinette de Turenne, daughter of Raymond, married Marshal Boucicaut, ally of the king of France. This marriage, celebrated in the castral chapel, seals a truce and integrates the Baux into the royal political networks. The castle, attached to the county of Provence in 1426, still suffered the wars of Religion (1562–198) before its definitive dismantling in 1632.

The semi-troglodytic fortress, which has been occupied since the Neolithic period, retains remarkable elements: a rectangular dungeon (thirteenth century), rooms dug in the rock, Sarrazine and Paravelle towers, as well as the remains of the chapel of Sainte-Catherine. Ranked a historic monument since 1875, the site now exhibits reconstructions of medieval siege gears (trebuchet, ram) and offers an exceptional panorama of the Alpilles and the Mediterranean.

Archaeological excavations, initiated in 1991, revealed rare hospital structures of the Renaissance, such as the Quiqueran hospital, demonstrating the social and architectural importance of the Baux far beyond its military role. The castle thus illustrates almost a thousand years of Provencal history, between feudal conflicts, royal alliances and architectural adaptations.

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