Vaumeilh (; oc, Vaumelha) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the west ...

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 ...

Geography

It is a small Provençal village with narrow, winding streets which backs on to a hill. The

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Charles Rostaing Charles Rostaing (9 October 1904 – 24 April 1999) was a French linguist who specialised in toponymy.Obituar ...

History

The village was mentioned, as 'Vaumel', for the first time in charters dated 1171. It was occupied by Protestants at the end of the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estim ...

. A 'patriotic society' was created in the spring of 1792, which was one of 21 in the department of

to debate political matters.

Administration

List of mayors: *March 1989 - March 1995 Louis Touche *March 1995 - March 2001 Jean-Marie Collombon *March 2001 - March 2008 Georges Richaud *March 2008 - to date Élisabeth Collombon

Population

The inhabitants are called ''Vaumeilhois''.

Sights

* A priory, Notre-Dame de Chane, existed in 1210, and depended on the monastery in

Aniane Aniane (; oc, Aniana) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Population See also * Benedict of Aniane * Pont du Diable, Hérault * Mas de Daumas Gassac *Communes of the Hérault department The ...

. It fell in ruins in 1469, was given to the Church of Gap, which rebuilt it with mainly agricultural objectives around a triple court between the end of the 17th century and 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 ...

. A dovecote which is the oldest in the department dating from the 15th or 16th centuries was built almost entirely out of large boulders. * The parish church was built in 1667. It has fine stained glass and marble statuesWeb-site maintained by the mayor
/ref> * The chapel of Saint Marcellin, below the village, was built around 1770 * There is a monument to the fourteen dead of the First World War * A tower remains from an ancient feudal manor that was destroyed during the

* The town square (Place de Trois Torrents) was enlarged adding a children's play area and a "kiosk" (bandstand). This was formally opened 10 July 2010. * The "sentier des Contes" (the Tales' Path) starting from Fombeton Bridge is part of the "Trail of Talking Rocks".Trail of Talking Rocks
/ref> A special booklet available from tourist offices when pressed to the right rock will trigger an electronic story about the location. * The airfield midway between Vaumeilh and Thèze is well known for the sport of

gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...

and attracts many visitors each year for flights and for its restaurant