Le Barroux (; oc, Lo Barós) is a village and commune in the

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in southeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It had a population of 629 in 2017.

History

Its current name derives from the Latin ''Albaruffum''. Its castle was built in the 12th century to oppose Saracen and Italian incursions, and went through major overhauls in the 16th and 17th centuries. The castle was damaged during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, was repaired in 1929 using private funds, was set on fire by German occupation troops in 1944 as a reprisal for acts of

resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

, and restored again after 1960. In its chapel are 18th-century wall paintings that are registered as historical monuments. Its parish Church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Outside the village is the traditionalist Roman Catholic

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

named Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux, founded in 1978 by Dom Gérard Calvet (1927–2008). Charles, Prince of Wales spent a week in the village in November 1990, convalescing after an operation.Christopher Wilson, "The Windsor Knot", Citadel Press, 2003, p.145. Le Barroux is

sister town A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

with the English village of

Much Marcle Much Marcle is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, located north-east of Ross-on-Wye. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 660. The name ''Marcle'' comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for a boundary field, ''mearc-l ...

Economy

*Agriculture. Vineyards around the village produce

Côtes du Ventoux AOC Ventoux AOC (known as ''Côtes du Ventoux AOC'' until 2008) is a wine-growing AOC in the southeastern region of the Rhône wine region of France, where the wines are produced in 51 communes of the Vaucluse ''département'' along the lower slopes ...

wine. Other productions are olive oil, cherries and apricots. *Tourism. Visitors are attracted to the picturesque medieval village and castle and to the Benedictine abbey. Cyclists are attracted by the proximity of the Mont Ventoux, a mountain often featured in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

. Image:160926-Barroux-01.jpg, Le Barroux, south side Image:Abbaye du Barroux - abbatiale.jpg, Benedictine abbey Image:Château Le Barroux 2.JPG, Castle Image:Le Barroux 9.JPG, Parish Church

References

Communes of Vaucluse {{Vaucluse-geo-stub

History

Economy

See also

References