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Lacoste (; ) is a commune in the
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.
department 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 In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in southeastern
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 ...
. Its population doubles in size during the height of the summer tourist season.


Geography

Lacoste is a picturesque old mountain village overlooking the village of
Bonnieux Bonnieux (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,206. In the plain below the vil ...
and the Grand
Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is a massif in central Provence in Southern France, part of the French Prealps. It has a maximum elevation of and an area of about . It is composed of three mounta ...
Mountains to the east, and flanked by the
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.
to the north and the Petit Luberon to the south. There is also a path through the valley that leads from
Bonnieux Bonnieux (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,206. In the plain below the vil ...
to Lacoste (about a 45-minute walk).


Sights

The
vernacular architecture Vernacular architecture (also folk architecture) is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. It is not a particular architectural movement or style but rather a broad category, encompassing a wide range a ...
and cobblestone streets give the impression of a village where time has stood still. The oldest building in the town, the Maison Forte, dates back to the 9th century while the nearby
Pont Julien The Pont Julien (, ''Julian Bridge'') is a Roman stone arch bridge over the Calavon river, in the south-east of France, dating from 3 BC. The supporting columns are notable for openings to allow floodwater to pass through. It is located in the t ...
remains one of the oldest standing examples of a working 1st-century BC Roman bridge. Finnbar Mac Eoin, author of ''Two Suitcases and a Dog'', lives in Lacoste. He was the last person to drive across the Pont Julien before it closed to traffic in 2005. A plaque states, "We do not know who was the first person to cross, but an Irishman was the last".


History

Lacoste is best known for its most notorious resident, Donatien Alphonse François, comte de Sade (the
Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade ( ; ; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) was a French writer, libertine, political activist and nobleman best known for his libertine novels and imprisonment for sex crimes, blasphemy and pornography ...
), who in the 18th century lived in the castle, Château de Lacoste, overlooking the village. Following a series of incidents involving local women and the police, the Marquis fled the country but was eventually imprisoned. His castle was partially destroyed in an uprising in 1779 and was later looted and plundered by locals. It was later bought by
fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...
Pierre Cardin Pierre Cardin (born Pietro Costante Cardin; 2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020) was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometry, geometric shap ...
, who partially restored it and held cultural events there. During the first half of the 19th century the village saw a brief time of agricultural and economic prosperity from the Roman
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) ...
quarries, but soon hit a slump in the second half of the century and a large portion of the upper village of Lacoste fell into disrepair and ruins. During
World War II 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
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
took their foothold in the steep
Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is a massif in central Provence in Southern France, part of the French Prealps. It has a maximum elevation of and an area of about . It is composed of three mounta ...
Mountains around Lacoste, and trenches and barbed wire still exist in the forested area in the valley, where resistance fighters prepared to square off with German troops.


Culture

Tony Perrottet of ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'' said that Lacoste "always had a contrarian streak," citing the fact that Lacoste was a Protestant village surrounded by Catholic communities and that a communist mayor had been in power for fifty years. There are two small cafés in town where locals and students go to socialize.


Arts

The Marquis fancied Lacoste as a destination for
thespian Thespian may refer to: * A citizen of the Ancient Greek city of Thespiae * An actor or actress ** Thespis, the first credited actor * A member of the International Thespian Society The International Thespian Society (ITS) is an honor society ...
s, which has in some small part become true. In the 1990s, the ruins of the castle, along with an attached quarry, were bought by fashion designer
Pierre Cardin Pierre Cardin (born Pietro Costante Cardin; 2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020) was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometry, geometric shap ...
, and since 1994 musical and theatrical works have been performed there. Cardin founded ''L'Espace Cardin'' in the village of Lacoste as his business and ticketing office, and renovated the quarry into a massive outdoor performance area and stage. Annually, Cardin's festivalwww.festivaldelacoste.com
/ref> draws thousands during the month of July for world-class opera, theater, and music set in the quarried stage and coinciding with the
Festival d'Avignon The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival (), is an annual arts festival held in the France, French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by ...
, the renowned summer theater and performance festival in the nearby city of
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 ...
. Adding to the town's reputation as an artistic haven, The Lacoste School of the Arts was founded in Lacoste in 1970 by American art professor and painter, Bernard Pfriem. Under Pfriem's direction, notable artists came to Lacoste to teach and be inspired by the peace and tranquility of the rural environment, including
Benny Andrews Benny Andrews (November 13, 1930 – November 10, 2006) was an African-American artist, activist and educator. Born in Plainview, Georgia, Andrews earned a BFA in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1958, and soon after ...
, Denis Brihat,
Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (; 22 August 1908 – 3 August 2004) was a French artist and Humanist photography, humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 135 film, 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street ...
,
David Douglas Duncan David Douglas Duncan (January 23, 1916 – June 7, 2018) was an American photojournalist, known for his dramatic combat photographs, as well as for his extensive domestic photography of Pablo Picasso and his wife Jacqueline. Childhood and educa ...
, Nene Humphrey,
Gjon Mili Gjon Mili (November 28, 1904 – February 14, 1984) was an Albanian photographer from Korçë who developed his profession in America, best known for his work published in Life (magazine), ''Life'', in which he photographed artists such as Pablo ...
, and
Jean-Pierre Sudre Jean-Pierre Sudre (; September 27, 1921 – September 6, 1997) was a commercial photographer. Biography Sudre was born in Paris but later moved to the south of France. There he devoted his life to workshops of fine art photography. Photography ...
, and Maggie Siner among others. The expatriate American poet, Gustaf Sobin, often taught poetry to students at The Lacoste School of the Arts. Through Pfriem and Sobin's leadership, the school emerged to become one of the most respected art programs in France.
Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...
, the
Cleveland Institute of Art The Cleveland Institute of Art, previously Cleveland School of Art, is a private college focused on art and design and located in Cleveland, Ohio. History The college was founded in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women, at f ...
, and
Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...
traded partnership with the school before the
Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. It was founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the United ...
took control in 2002. Today the Savannah College of Art and Design hosts four quarters of classes for art students and professors from all corners of the globe, studying fine arts, writing, architecture, design, fashion, film, photography, sculpture, and theater, to name a few of the subjects. The 30+year history of the Lacoste School of the Arts has helped to infuse a multicultural and worldly artistic sense to the village. The Savannah College of Art and Design recently renovated Maison Basse at the base of the hill village, expanding the number of students who can study in Lacoste each quarter.


Gallery

File:Lacoste, Vaucluse in March.jpg, View of Lacoste, Vaucluse in March File:View of the valley from Lacoste, Vaucluse.jpg, View of the valley from Lacoste, Vaucluse File:Clock tower in Lacoste, Vaucluse in France.jpg, Clock tower in Lacoste, Vaucluse in France


See also

* Château de Lacoste *
Côtes du Luberon AOC Luberon ( or ; known as ''Côtes du Luberon'' until 2009) is a French wine-growing AOC in the southeastern extreme of the Rhône wine region of France, where the wines are produced in 36 communes of the Vaucluse département. The neighbouring ap ...
*
Communes of the Vaucluse department The following is a list of the 151 communes of the Vaucluse department of France. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):Office TourismePierre Cardin feud tears village apart - BBC News
{{authority control Communes of Vaucluse