2. MOURIES - Le tour des Alpilles à vélo, jour 2

11 points of interest

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  Patrimony and history

  The Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur

  The church is the place of the Saint-Jacques chapel, they found writings dating from the eleventh century. and has been replaced to accommodate the growing number of parishioners. The building in front of you dates from 1783. He has had several downgrades during the Revolution, but also following the 1909 earthquake that caused the collapse of the bell tower.

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  Patrimony and history

  St. Roch oratory

  Topped on a central pillar in stone, this small chapel was built in 1822, against cholera raging in the region. A niche was built, bullet-shaped, covered by a stone flat roof. A marble plaque was added to the building, where one can read "SAINT ROCH PRIEZ FOR US. 1822-1886 ".

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  Produits du terroir

  The route of the olive groves

  On D24a connecting Mouriès to Aureille, you will drive for about 5km on a road punctuated by numerous olive groves. You can then explore all the various activities in relation with the planting of olive trees. These activities range from intensive farming with tight plants and bare soil to organic farming with widely spaced plants and vegetation cover.

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  Panorama

  Mosaic plant

  The irregular plant mosaic is the result of clearing work carried out under the LIFE program of the Alpilles. Its objective is to promote the reintegration of species living in the open air environment. The species include small game, such as the wild rabbit and red-legged partridge, that constitues the main food source for predatory birds of the Alpilles such as Bonelli's eagle and the Egyptian vulture.

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  Patrimony and history

  Notre Dame de l'Assomption

  Once you have reached Aureille, I invite you to make a detour in the center of the village to admire the church of Notre Dame de l’Assomption. The construction of this neo-Romanesque church was initiated by the parish priest, named Father Pauleau, who arrived in 1867 at Aureille. The first stone was laid by the Archbishop of Aix, George Chalandon, on 31 March of that year. His plans are the work of the architect Auguste Veran from Arles.

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  Panorama

  View of Les Civadières and Les Opies

  Getting out of Aureille, it is possible to contemplate the presence of a set of rocky ridges. They are located southeast of the Alpilles and include Les Civadières and the highest point of the Regional Nature Park: Les Opies 498m high. Some of their rock walls are now the favorite site for many climbing lovers.

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  Panorama

  View of the Civadières

  Located in the immediate vicinity of the highest point of the Alpilles, the crests of Civadières, high of 446 m offer a broad panorama on the solid mass of Alpilles, Petit Luberon and Mont Ventoux. They are part of the most ancient geological formations of the Park, dating back from the Jurassic. ;

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  Panorama

  View on the Roquemartine lowland

  This opening of the landscape, which follows a pine forest, reveals the Roquemartine lowland. It is between the eastern end of the Alpilles on the left and Mont Menu and Defens on the right. In the distance, one can also distinguish very clearly the first reliefs of the Petit Luberon. It forms a landscape where each element composes a harmonious whole, of a great serenity.

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  Patrimony and history

  Roquemartine castle

  Also called "Queen Jeanne Castle", it dates from the twelfth century and belonged to the family of Alba. Below is the Church Saint-Sauveur, which was formerly the parish church of Roquemartine village. The castle and the church form an original landscape perched on a spur overlooking the lowland below. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the castle is abandoned in favor of the New Roquemartine castle, in lowland. This site has been registered with the historical monuments in 1926.

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  Savoir-faire

  Provençales hedges

  Symbols of Provence, many hedges segment the territory and separate the various plots. Composed of cedar or cypress, these hedges have the primary function of protecting the various crops from mistral and frost. These trees are also known for their wood, very solid and fragrant, and have served to build the framework of many farmhouses of the Alpilles.

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  Panorama

  View on the Notre-Dame de Beauregard Chapel

  Place of Christian pilgrimage today, this promontory is a place of worship probably since the protohistory. Many vestiges of the altars were found on the site. The current chapel was erected in 1878 on the site of a chapel that had become too small to accommodate pilgrims. Many ex-voto testify to a great religious fervor granted to this place The building below is a former convent built by the Augustinians Déchaussés (17th century).