Page 12 - Guide Patrimoine - Terre de Provence

CABANNES
10
LA FONTAINE
MONUMENTS SAINT-MICHAEL CHAPEL
It dates from the 12th c. and ful ls the characteristics of the rural Romanesque Chapels of Provence. The windows and the front door are oriented to the South because of the «Mistral» a strong local wind. The actual windows are not the original ones, which were surely very narrow. The old font door can still be seen from outside of the chapel, on the southern wall. The chapel roof was entirely composed of at paving stones. It was rebuilt during the 17th
c. The chapel is made of Orgon stones, beautifully cut: these stones were carried along the Durance River and were then conveyed to the Chapel by the Devens path. It was used as a parish church until the 13th c, where the actual church
was built. This new church is much bigger and situated at the foothill of the Castle. The village was thus shifted from
a few hundreds metres. The fresco behind the altar of the Chapel represents the Holy- Trinity with the speci c emblem of the Chartreux (Carthusian monks). Jean Girard, grandson of the last prior of the brotherhood, issued an appeal in 1974 to all Cabannais : this call was heard and the chapel was entirely restored.
SAINT-MAGDALENA CHURCH
The «House of Knights of Malta», known as «the House of the Knights « is the former lordly property of the Marquis de Barbentane. It is located in front of the church and in the middle of the walled citycenter, its construction dates from
the beginning of the 12th century (1133). The arches
of the ground oor and the ambulatory with the colonnades of the 1st oor are unique in Provence. They date the XVIth century and are of the purest Renaissance style. The house is divided and sold
from 1665. The North side becomes the house of the Consuls and then the City Hall 1670 in 1888, the southern part is occupied by families and the low gallery is used as marketplace. The City-Hall area
was extensively redesigned between 1838 and 1843 :
the corner tower only was preserved, with a monumental sculpture of the village’s rst crests. The Southern façade, on Pujade Street, is redecorated around 1740 and used as a standard hotel. It was restored in 2000. Private property, visible only from outside.
COVERED WASHER
This old covered washer was restored in 1996 and has a structure on square pillars. It is one of the few so-called «standing washers» where women washed upright.
THE WAR MEMORIAL
Listed as Historic Monument in 2010, it was inaugurated on October 2nd in 1921. One can read on the pedestal : “to the children of cabannes dead for France” On the backside : «This monument was erected by subscriptions. In memory of the Heroes of the Great War. 1921. On the rock where the «poilu» (name of the French soldiers during First World War) stands : FRANCE !
Per tu li Cabanén an fa ço qu’an pouscu. (France, for you, the inhabitants of Cabannes did what they could).
LEISURE ACTIVITIES ESPACE INTERGÉNÉRATIONNEL LA DURANCE
Artist studio. Occasional exhibition hall of local artists. Avenue Saint Michel
+33 (0)9 63 21 35 42 mairie-cabannes.fr
LIBRARY LEOPOLD VIDAU Place du 8 mai 1945 biblio13.fr
Avenue Saint Michel +33 (0)4 90 90 47 96 / mediatheque @mairie-cabannes.fr