Banon () is a commune in the department of

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (sometimes abbreviated as AHP; ; ; ), formerly until 1970 known as Basses-Alpes (, ), is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the sou ...

in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

region of south-eastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Geography

Banon is located next to the Plateau of Albion some 15 km north-west of

Forcalquier Forcalquier (; ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Forcalquier is located between the Lure Mountain( fr) and Luberon mountain ranges, about south of Sisteron and west of the Durance river. Dur ...

, 50 km east of

Carpentras Carpentras (, formerly ; Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Carpentràs'' in classical norm or ''Carpentras'' in Mistralian norm; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the ...

, and 760 m above sea level. The village is on a hill overlooking the Coulon valley. Access to the commune is by the D950 road from

Revest-du-Bion Revest-du-Bion is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Prov ...

in the north-west which passes through the village and continues south-east to

Limans Limans is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence d ...

. The D51 goes south-west from the village to

Simiane-la-Rotonde Simiane-la-Rotonde (; ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population Geography The commune is traversed by the river Calavon. See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The ...

. The D5 goes south-east to

Revest-des-Brousses Revest-des-Brousses is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also * Luberon *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 communes of the Alp ...

. The D12 goes north from the D950 and loops around to join the D950 again east of the commune. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of L'Adret, L'Adrech, and Le Serre. The commune is farmland on the lower areas to the west and forested on the heights in the east.Google Maps
/ref>

Geology

Limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, dating from the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

period, is the predominant rock in the commune although in the Riaille valley it is

Barremian The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale (or a chronostratigraphic stage) between 125.77 Ma (million years ago) and 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma (Historically, this stage was placed at 129.4 million to approximately 125 million years ago) It is a ...

limestone. The limestone is used for construction, especially for wall ties, framing, and lower walls, as well as for fountains. Depressions, oriented SSW-NNE and NNW-SSE are formed of

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. M ...

and

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

from the

Upper Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...

period. Limestones and porous rocks allow water to infiltrate down to a substrate of

Neocomian In geology, Neocomian was a name given to the lowest stage of the Cretaceous system. It is generally considered to encompass the interval now covered by the Berriasian, Valanginian and Hauterivian, from approximately 145 to 130 Ma. It was introduce ...

marl. These infiltrations scour the rocks causing the formation of sinkholes or ''Avens'' ( Pitches) such as the Aven of Belette. The waters circulate at a speed of 77 metres/hour.

Relief

;Summits: *The Croue de Bane or Grou de Banc (1092 m) *The Crête de Gamby (Gamby peak) (883 m)

Hydrography

The ''Ravin du Calavon'' rises just east of the village and flows south, becoming the

Calavon The Calavon (; also called ''le Coulon'') is an long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse '' départements'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .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 .Cabannes. The ''Riaille'' river flows south through the western side of the commune and the village before joining the Calavon south of the commune. The ''Largue'' flows from the north down the eastern side of the commune and continues south to join the Durance east of

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital ...

Environment

The commune has 2,271 hectares of woods and forests.

Climate

Banon is located in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and enjoys an interior

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

with summers hot and dry but the winters are cool and marked by frequent frosts. The annual average temperature is 12.8 °C with an average maximum of 22.4 °C and an average minimum of 0 °C. The highest maximum and minimum temperatures are 30 °C in July and 0 °C in December and January. Average sunshine hours are 2,755 hours per year with a peak of 343 hours in July. Another important characteristic of the Mediterranean climate is the rainfall which totals 426 millimetres over the year, unevenly distributed with a little more than 21 millimetres in July and more than 54 millimetres in October. The mistral blows sometimes although the town is sheltered by the Lure mountain. It may be more exposed to the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

or the

Sirocco Sirocco ( ) or scirocco is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, especially during the summer season. Names ''Sirocco'' derives from '' šurūq'' (), verbal noun o ...

which rarely occur. The nearest weather station to Banon is in Saint-Christol in

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; 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.

, a little farther away than

.Météo-France
Network of stations in the South-East
, ''Climatic'', consulted on 11 March 2013

Natural and technological risks

None of the 200 communes in the department are in a no seismic risk zone. Banon is in zone 1a (very low risk but not negligible) according to the deterministic classification of 1991 based on the historical earthquakes, and zone 3 (moderate risk) according to the EC8 probabilistic classification of 2011. Banon is also exposed to three other natural hazards: *forest fire, *flood, *landslide. Banon is not exposed to any risk of technological origin identified by the Prefecture. There is no risk prevention plan for foreseeable natural risks (PPR) for the commune and there is no DICRIM.

Transport network

Several bus lines connect Banon to other communes in the region. The places served are: Apt,

Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the Franco-Provençal, classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Alpe ...

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

, and

. There is also a bus service on market days (Tuesdays) to neighbouring communes. The nearest airport and railway station are at

Toponymy

The area appears for the first time in texts from the 11th century (''castrum Banonni''). According to

Charles Rostaing Charles Rostaing (; 9 October 1904 – 24 April 1999) was a French linguist who specialised in toponymy.Obit ...

the name is formed from the oronymic root ''Ban'' meaning "horn" or "point". According to this author the name predates the

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

s. This explanation is also shared by Fénié and Claude Martel, for whom this explanation also applies to ''Grou de Bane''. According to Ernest Nègre, ''Banon'' comes from a Germanic proper name ''Bano''. Banon in

Vivaro-Alpine dialect Vivaro-Alpine () is a variety of Occitan spoken in southeastern France (namely, around the Dauphiné area) and northwestern Italy (the Occitan Valleys of Piedmont and Liguria). There is also a small Vivaro-Alpine enclave in the Guardia Piem ...

and in

Provençal dialect Provençal (, , , ; or ) is a variety of Occitan, spoken by people in Provence and parts of Drôme and Gard. The term Provençal used to refer to the entire Occitan language, but more recently it has referred only to the variety of Occitan ...

is said and written'' Banon'' in the classical norm and ''Banoun'' in the

Mistralian norm The Mistralian norm is a linguistic norm for the Occitan language Occitan (; ), also known by its native speakers as (; ), sometimes also referred to as Provençal, is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan ...

. Three main factors explain the toponymy of the commune: the relief between the Albion plateau and the Lure mountain, its location in the

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

linguistic area, and the people of the area. The terrain is very present: the ''Pié d'Enroux'' is formed from a local evolution of the Latin ''podium'' meaning "height". The ''pey'' in Peymian has the same origin, the name of this hill meaning "the mountain of the middle". The name of the ''Puy de Salve'' is formed from the most current evolution in France of ''podium'' and there is also the ''Crête de Gamby'' (Gamby Ridge). The ''Coueste Chaude'' (to the west of the village) is on the slope of a mountain, Occitan derived from the French ''côte''. Other names are formed from the words ''adret'' (sunny side of a mountain) and ''ubac'' (shady side): thus there are the Adret and the Ubac of Grou de Ban, the hamlet of Adrech at the foot of the Grou, and the Ubac farm at the foot of the Pié d'Enroux. The Combe de Vaux is a pleonastic doublet to designate a valley. The work of hydraulic erosion on limestone has created ''avens'' (sinkholes) including at least one with a specific name: the Aven de Goutin. Amplified by deforestation, the same erosion moves large quantities of stones from the mountain slopes and deposits them on the plains, sometimes covering arable land: this is the origin of the name of ''Gravières'' south of the village. The relatively high flat arable areas are called ''plains'' even though they are on a mountain: this name is used in ''Plaines'' (at the northern border of the commune) and in the hamlet of Plaines (in ruins) on the southern boundary (as well as these there is the toponym ''le Nord des Plaines''). Le Plan is also a small plain. Water is also present in the toponymy: there is the water source called ''Font des Petits'' and a marshy area called La Palud. A valley is named ''Aiguebelle'' meaning "beautiful water". The reference to water is rare in the toponymy of this dry region. The term ''grange'' (barn) in this area refers to an isolated farm: this toponym is present in ''La Grange'' (at the northern border of the commune), also at ''La Grange'' (outside the village), and in ''Les Granges de Dauban''. The hill overlooking the village is called ''Le Défens'': this is an area, owned by the lord or the community, where herds were banned. ''Le Clos de Gardon'' is a cultivable area where the material from road ballasting was used to enclose the fields and meadows with a dry stone wall. ''Les Chastellas'' was a fortification at high altitude (which has been confirmed by excavations, see below) and ''La Tuilerie'' was a tile production workshop prior to the 18th century (before the term ''tuilière'' was used).

History

Prehistory and Antiquity

The commune had inhabitants in prehistoric times: the discoveries of

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

remains are quite numerous. There are two

oppida An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

at Mures and Chastellard. At Font-Crémat, a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

villa and a

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

have been discovered. A treasure of 700

denarii The ''denarius'' (; : ''dēnāriī'', ) was the standard Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the ''antoninianus''. It continued to be mi ...

from

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

Geta Geta may refer to: Places *Geta (woreda), a woreda in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region *Geta, Åland, a municipality in Finland *Geta, Nepal, a town in Attariya Municipality, Kailali District, Seti Zone, Nepal *Get� ...

was discovered in a vase in 1909 as well as many other unrelated discoveries. During the

Pax Romana The (Latin for ) is a roughly 200-year-long period of Roman history that is identified as a golden age of increased and sustained Roman imperialism, relative peace and order, prosperous stability, hegemonic power, and regional expansion, a ...

the iron manufacturing workshops became established in the commune territory. Throughout this period the territory of Banon was part of that of the ''Sogiontiques'' (Sogionti) whose territory spanned south of the Baronnies of 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 .Vocontii The Vocontii (Gaulish: *''Uocontioi''; Ancient Greek, Greek: Οὐοκόντιοι, Οὐοκοντίων) were a Gauls, Gallic people dwelling on the western foothills of the Alps during the La Tène culture, Iron Age and the Roman period. The Vo ...

and, after the

Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland). Gauls, Gallic, Germanic peoples, Germanic, and Celtic Britons, Brittonic trib ...

, they were attached with them to the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

Gallia Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in Occitania and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the first ...

(now

Narbonne Narbonne ( , , ; ; ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was ...

). In the 2nd century they were detached from Voconces and formed a distinct

civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by Roman law, law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilitie ...

with ''Segustero'' (

Sisteron Sisteron (; , ; from ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the river Durance just after the confluence of the rivers Buëch and Sasse. ...

) as its capital.

Romanisation In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

can be seen in places such as the villas of Fouent-Crema: there were several houses and workshops or a Gallo-Roman hamlet settled on the plains north-east of Banon in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. At the time of the Roman

Crisis of the Third Century The Crisis of the Third Century, also known as the Military Anarchy or the Imperial Crisis, was a period in History of Rome, Roman history during which the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the combined pressure of repeated Barbarian invasions ...

the whole area was burned (about 240-275). The people did not desert the commune as the site was occupied again in the 4th century before abandonment at the end of that century at the same time as the ''Chastelard de Lardiers'' nearby.Mariacristina Varano,
Religious and Political areas in Provençal country in the Middle Ages (9th-13th centuries). The example of Forcalquier and its region
', Thesis defended at the University of Aix-Marseille I, 2011, p. 73-74, 76, 150 The area then became a

and the location of the inhabitants for this period has not been determined either in the immediate vicinity or on the heights. While the south-east of

was Burgundian land, the king of the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

Theodoric the Great Theodoric (or Theoderic) the Great (454 – 30 August 526), also called Theodoric the Amal, was king of the Ostrogoths (475–526), and ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy between 493 and 526, regent of the Visigoths (511–526 ...

, conquered the region between 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 .Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

as well as

Isère Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.

in 510. The commune depended briefly on

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

until 526. In order to reconcile with the Burgundian king

Godomar Godomar II (also spelled Gundomar), son of king Gundobad, was king of Burgundy. He ruled Burgundy after the death of Sigismund, his elder brother, in 524 until 534. Life According to Gregory of Tours, Sigismund married the daughter of the O ...

III, the Ostrogoth Regent

Amalasuntha Amalasuintha (495 – 30 April 535) was a ruler of the Ostrogothic Kingdom from 526 to 535. Initially serving as regent for her son Athalaric, she became queen regnant after his premature death. Highly educated, Amalasuintha was praised by both ...

gave him the territory.

Middle Ages

While Chastelard was abandoned, there remained a visual (in the landscape) and symbolic (in attitudes) cue in that the border with the neighbouring community of

Lardiers Lardiers is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ...

was fixed along the side of the

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

in a process that seemed common. The village was fortified in the 11th century (it was the ''castrum banonum'' in the charters of the time). During the Middle Ages the Church of Our Lady depended on the Abbey of Cruis who received the income attached to this church as well as those of the Chapel of Saint-Hilaire (disappeared) and returned it to

Sénanque Abbey Sénanque Abbey ( Occitan: ''abadiá de Senhanca'', French: ''Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque'') is a Cistercian abbey near the village of Gordes in the ''département'' of the Vaucluse in Provence, France. First foundation It was founded in 1 ...

. The fief of Simiane (from the 12th century to the 1789 revolution) was devastated by ''Raimond de Turenne'' in 1391. The Banon community was then within the

viguerie In Southern France, a ''viguerie'' (; ) was a mediaeval administrative court. A ''viguerie'' is named for the place it serves or is found in, that is, the main town of the borough, which need not be its (administrative capital). Appearing during ...

Modern Times

A fair was held at Banon until the 18th century. There was a

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

in Banon (probably after the 17th century). Its ruins are located near the Clos de Gardon.

French Revolution

During the French Revolution the commune had a ''patriotic society'' which was founded after the end of 1792. The medieval castle was razed during the Revolution.

Contemporary Era

The

French coup d'état of 1851 French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

committed by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte against the

French Second Republic The French Second Republic ( or ), officially the French Republic (), was the second republican government of France. It existed from 1848 until its dissolution in 1852. Following the final defeat of Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle ...

provoked an armed uprising in the lower Alps in defence of the Constitution. After the failure of the insurrection severe repression continued against those who defended the Republic: 17 inhabitants of Banon were brought before the Joint Committee and the majority were sentenced to exile in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. As with many communes in the department, Banon adopted schools well before the

Jules Ferry laws The Jules Ferry laws are a set of French laws which established free education in 1881, then mandatory and ''laic'' (secular) education in 1882. Jules Ferry, a lawyer holding the office of Minister of Public Instruction in the 1880s, is widely c ...

. The scattered settlements led to doubling of the facilities with, in 1863, two schools installed in the main town and the village of Largue at the east and west extremities of the commune. These schools provided primary education for boys and girls: the

Falloux Laws The Falloux Laws promoted Catholic schools in France in the 1850s, 1860s and 1870s. They were voted in during the French Second Republic and promulgated on 15 March 1850 and in 1851, following the presidential election of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte ...

(1851) required the opening of a girls' school in communes with more than 800 inhabitants. The commune benefited from grants from the second Duruy Law (1877) to rebuild the Largue village school and to build a new one at Granges de Dauban. The village people started moving in the 19th century: people began to abandon the tight housing on the heights to build their houses near the crossroads of the roads to Sisteron, Apt, Manosque and Forcalquier in about 1840–1880. This new community was called La Bourgade. The old village was not abandoned immediately as the church was enlarged and a hospital was built on the heights. In 1887, however, a college was built in the new village on the Market Square (Place du Marché). In 1905 a water jet fountain sourced from the Brieux and fed by an underground aqueduct 3 km long was built in the new village. Thereafter all new buildings, private or public, were built in the lower village (a church in 1911, a hospital in 1930) and, in 1950, the

Orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

s began to be converted to housing zones. In the 20th century the cultivation of

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...

commenced and a distillery was founded. At the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the police station moved to Forcalquier.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Inter-communality

Banon is part of the Community of communes of Haute-Provence-Pays de Banon.

Budget and Taxation

The Regional part of the Housing tax is not applicable. The Professional Tax was replaced in 2010 by the corporate property contribution (CFE)on the rental value of property and the contribution of value added companies (CAVE) which both form the territorial economic contribution (CET), a local tax introduced by the Finance Act 2010.Law No. 2009-1673 of 30 December 2009
of finance for 2010, Légifrance

Population

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Banonais'' or ''Banonaises'' in French. The demographic history of Banon, after the bloodletting of the 14th and 15th centuries and a long period of growth until the beginning of the 19th century, was marked by a period of "stagnation" where the population was relatively stable at a high level. This period lasted from 1831 to 1851. The

rural exodus Rural flight (also known as rural-to-urban migration, rural depopulation, or rural exodus) is the Human migration, migratory pattern of people from rural areas into urban areas. It is urbanization seen from the rural perspective. In Industriali ...

then caused a long-term population decline. In 1954, after more than a century of decline, the town had lost over half of its population relative to its historical high in 1841. The decline, however, reversed from the 1960s with a growth of 50% in half a century.

Economy

Overview

In 2017, the active population amounted to 382 people, including 47 unemployed (12%). These workers are in majority employees (72%), and are in majority employed in the commune (64%).Dossier complet: Commune de Banon (04018)
/ref> Agriculture is still very present with 19 active establishments at the end of 2015. There were 78 establishments in trade and services, 29 in public services (administration, education, health, social work), 16 in industry and 14 in construction. Industry and construction employ 16% of the active population, trade and services 28% and administration and public services employ 56%.

Agriculture

In late 2015 the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, fishing) had 19 establishments within the meaning of INSEE and 16 farm holdings according to the Agreste survey by the Ministry of Agriculture. This number is down significantly in the 2000s, from 27 to 16 in 10 years. From 1988 to 2000 the utilised agricultural area (UAA) has fallen sharply from 2,043 hectares to 1,207 hectares of which 1,006 hectares are crops. This area has doubled in the 2000s. In contrast, establishments practicing polyculture have disappeared. Sheep and permanent crops (various tree crops, fruit, truffles, and lavender) representing the remaining enterprises. Vineyards, a component of the Mediterranean triad, was formerly present in Banon. In the 19th century there were several dozen hectares of vineyards producing wine for home consumption and sale in local markets with a small amount sold on the regional market. Currently the surface area of vineyards is insignificant.

Industry

Banon has become famous for its small goat cheeses wrapped in dry chestnut leaves and tied with

raffia Raffia palms are members of the genus ''Raphia''. The Malagasy language, Malagasy name is derived from ' "to squeeze #Raffia wine, juice". The genus contains about twenty species of Arecaceae, palms native to tropical regions of Africa, and esp ...

strings. The Banon cheese factory employs 38 people. Over 600,000 individual cheeses are produced each year.

Banon Banon may refer to: * Banon cheese, French cheese * Banon, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in France * Characters of Final Fantasy VI#Banon, a character in Final Fantasy VI * Tristane Banon, a French wri ...

cheese is the only

appellation d'origine contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

(AOC) in the

region. The

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

mines are closed but the quarry is exploited by ''Carrières de Haute-Provence'' (Haute-Provence Quarries) who still process the local limestone into aggregate.

Service activities

The village is notable for one of the largest independent bookstores in France, ''Le Bleuet'', which offers more than 100,000 titles on their shelves. According to the Departmental Observatory of tourism, the tourism function is important for the town with between 1 and 5 tourists per inhabitant visiting the commune each year. Most of the accommodation capacity is non-market (e.g. 2nd homes). The proximity of the Luberon Natural Regional Park energizes this sector of activity in the commune. Although not having any hotels, the commune still has several accommodation facilities for tourists: *a farm campsite and a three-star rated camping area with 93 sites; *many furnished houses There is also a significant capacity of 185 second homes A wide variety of shops is present in the commune: *an insurance office *a real estate agency *several garages and auto shops (which employ 25 people) *2 banks *various restaurants, bars, and cafes *various grocery shops *several bookshops and newsagents including ''Le Bleuet'', one of the largest in France *a jewellery shop *a florist

Facilities

Education

The commune has two educational facilities: *a Primary school *The Pays de Banon college

Sports

Many sports clubs are present in the commune for various sports including boxing, badminton, handball, judo, paragliding, hiking, and horse riding.

Health

There are many health practitioners in Banon: 3 physiotherapists, 4 doctors, 2 osteopaths, and a pharmacy. Banon has a rural hospital with 68 beds which was built between 1984 and 1985. This hospital has an after-care service and 20 undifferentiated rehabilitation beds, 48 nursing home beds and 25 Nursing Service At Home (SSIAD) places. The building stands on the site of a former hospital built by donors belonging to old local families. It is served by 60 caregivers and administrative staff and is the largest employer in the commune.

Communal services

Several public services are available: *A CPAM Primary Health Insurance office *A Social Action Centre *A Public Revenue Office *A Leisure Centre *A Fire Station

Worship

The commune is part of the Montagne de Lure parish sector and Catholic worship is celebrated alternately in each of the churches in the sector.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

*An old Feudal Gatehouse (1600) is registered as an historical monument. to a walled enclosure from the 15th century remains in part, including the portal from the 14th century defended by a

Bretèche In medieval fortification, a bretèche or brattice is a small balcony with machicolations, usually built over a gate and sometimes in the corners of the fortress' wall, with the purpose of enabling defenders to shoot or throw objects at the atta ...

above the gateway. Some remains of the foundations and tower sections also remain. *An old Hospital in the old village is of an archaic architecture and dates to 1850. It has been restored with arcaded streets lined with houses from the 16th century, some of which include wooden architectural elements. Some of the old houses have stone fronts in medieval style but dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. At the top of the village is a house under which the street passes has a large fireplace with a mantle decorated with

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate Hydrate, dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk ...

from the early 17th century with a frieze including two lions in repose. *The Gouffre du Caladaire (Caladaire Abyss) near the village. *One of two

Dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

s that remain is the property of the commune. *Two old

Windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

towers are preserved at Vieux Montsalier and at the Notre Dame farm. *A Brick Factory Chimney which is rare in the department is located at Banon.

Religious heritage

The scattered settlements explains the presence of numerous chapels and two parishes in the 19th century. At least four other chapels have disappeared. Banon has two parish churches and three chapels remaining: *The Church of Saint Mark is located at the top of the village in Romanesque style dating from 1652. It contains an

ex-voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or a divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. The term is usually restricted to Christian example ...

from 1864 representing a woman lying with her husband praying to the Virgin Mary. *The Church of Saint-Just-et-Notre-Dame-des-Anges or lower church is located at the bottom of the village and was built from 1909 to 1911. The roof collapsed in 1950 and was replaced by a ceiling. It has a small bell tower. *The Chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Secours at Granges de Dauban (1769) *The Chapel of Saint Mark at Largue *The Chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Anges is isolated on the plateau and dates in part from the end of the 13th century. It is possible that its foundation is older as it is located on a place that has been settled since

times. It was initially called ''Sainte-Marie-du-Largue''. The

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

is in ''cul-de-four''A vault in the form of a quarter of a sphere. with a flat

chevet In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. In Byzan ...

and the

Choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

is framed by two chapels. The vault of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was probably rebuilt in the 19th century during numerous works which were done under the

Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between the First French Republic and the Holy See, signed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace–Lorraine, ...

. The door is topped by concentric arches (Voussures) supported by columns. Two statues of angels with

Speech scroll In art history, a speech scroll (also called a banderole or phylactery). is an illustrative device denoting speech, song, or other types of sound. Developed independently on two continents, the device was in use by artists within Mesoamerican cu ...

s flank the door. The bell tower is topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary.Jean-Christophe Labadie, ''Angels'', Musée départemental d’art religieux, catalogue de l’exposition à la cathédrale Saint-Jérôme (5 July - 30 September 2013), 2013, (), p. 29 The chapel contains several items that are registered as historical objects: **An

Painting: Appearance of the Virgin (1823) **An

Painting: Appearance of the Virgin (1861) **An

Painting: Appearance of the Virgin (1880) **An

Painting: Family kneeling before the Virgin (18th century) **An

Painting: Apparition of the Virgin and child (1864)Ministry of Culture, Palissy

Banon and the cinema

Banon is the village where the story takes place of

The Man Who Planted Trees ''The Man Who Planted Trees'' (French title: ''L'homme qui plantait des arbres''), also known as The Story of Elzéard Bouffier, is an Allegory, allegorical tale by French author Jean Giono, published in 1953. It tells the story of one shepherd' ...

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

. The animated film adaptation by

Frédéric Back Frédéric Back (April 8, 1924 – December 24, 2013) was a Canadian artist and film director of short animated films.John L. Kennedy and Eugene Walz"Frédéric Back". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', November 4, 2007. During a long career with R ...

(1987) won the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

for Best

Short Film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

in 1988.

Notable people linked to the commune

*Jean François Palhier de Sylvabelle (1748-1822), MP for the

Council of Five Hundred The Council of Five Hundred () was the lower house of the legislature of the French First Republic under the Constitution of the Year III. It operated from 31 October 1795 to 9 November 1799 during the French Directory, Directory () period of t ...

Notes and references

Notes

References

{{Authority control Communes of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence