Bédoin

A little bit of history.The richness of the region’s subsoil gave rise to a variety of craft industries: brick production, tiles and pottery. The village was not spared by disease or the Wars of Religion and the population took shelter behind curtain walls, accessed via four doors. The darkest period was during the Revolution when Bédoin became known as the “Vendée du Midi” because of its allegiance to the Pope, the Comtat Venaissin and the French King. The persecution was terrible with executions, fires, the destruction of religious and cultural sites, as well as archives and records. In the Place de la République, at the site of the guillotine, there is a monument dedicated to the memory of the victims.The end of the Reign of Terror marked Bédoin’s reconstruction with inhabitants returning to their homes and resuming their business.One of the best ways of finding out about the village’s history is to explore the Draio dou Barry, a route that leads you through small roads past ancient buildings and architecture. The old village is located on St Antonin hill, overlooked by the remains of a cemetery and St Pierre church. In 1876, an access path to the summit was opened and a weather observatory built. At the same time, a programme to reforest Mont Ventoux was launched: since then, its slopes have been covered with holm oaks, Austrian black pines, fir and beech trees, not to mention one of Europe’s largest cedar woods.

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