Citadel of Forcalquier (Castle of the Counts of Forcalquier)

En un regard

Le château en bref

The citadel of Forcalquier occupies a limestone spur overlooking the town, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. On this site, an oppidum frequented since the Neolithic, a castle was built in the early Middle Ages, in the 9th–10th centuries; it became the residence of the Counts of Forcalquier and later of the Counts of Provence. Severely damaged during the siege of 1481, at the time of the town's forced annexation to the Kingdom of France, and then during the Wars of Religion, the building was finally razed on the orders of Henry IV in 1601. Remains of the castle's foundations survive on the southern flank of the site. In its place now stands the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Provence, in the neo-Byzantine style and on an octagonal plan, built between 1868 and 1875 and adorned at its corners with statues of medieval musicians. The site also houses a manual carillon, one of the few in Provence to practise the traditional "à coups de poing" (fist-played) technique; created in 1925, and restored and enlarged between 2016 and 2018, it has 37 bells and is played on Sundays. From the summit, a 360° panoramic view extends over the town, the Montagne de Lure, the Luberon massif, the Durance valley, the Valensole plateau and the Haute-Provence Observatory.