Village de Puyméras

Park in the lot opposite the Place de la Grande Fontaine, below the castle. From here you can get the most beautiful view of the church and the terraced rooftops, covered wash-house, and its lovely fountain.

On the opposite hill are the remains of the castle that was destroyed by the inhabitants during the French Revolution. Today it is privately owned and cannot be visited. Climb up to the church square, where the view over the plain and the village is amazing. Vaison’s castle is silhouetted against the mountains. The Romanesque church of Saint Michel, has been reworked many times and has a very original facade, with a bell-wall featuring three bells.

Go by the town hall to reach the Grand Rue, passing next to the belfry. A remnant of the ancient fortifications is an old doorway, called the Portail de Sabrun (Sabrun Gate) where tradition holds that a massacre took place at the time of the religious wars. Under the Barrys (ramparts in Provençal), you can still see a defensive tower.

In the town, there are also three Romanesque chapels. Now restored, they are the subject of traditional pilgrimages every year.

FAVORITE
Every Bastille Day (July 14) there is a very Republican party. The bust of revolutionary symbol Marianne is taken out of the town hall and walked around the village streets on a stretcher decked out in the colors of France. Costumed children, dressed as revolutionaries, follow the parade.

DID YOU KNOW?
Like the famous Bravade celebration in Saint-Tropez, Puyméras has its own Bravade. Bravadaires, as the celebrants are called accompanied by music and people in traditional Comtat costumes, shoot their rifles loaded with blanks, to hail the start of the festivities.

Distance from Vaison : 8km

Inhabitants : 587 referred to as les Puymérassiens

Elevation : 275m mini and 846m maxi

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