3. ORGON - Le tour des Alpilles à vélo, jour 3

8 points of interest

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  Patrimony and history

  Urgonia museum

  Discover the heritage of the territory through the exhibition in geology, palaeontology, archaeology and ornithology presented in the former prison. This historic place still bears graffiti made by the prisoners. It reveals the unique and fascinating history of this land from 130 million years ago. As a highlight, discover the urgonian limestone and its numerous fossils which has been giving this eponymous site an international resonance since the mid 19th century.

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  Patrimony and history

  Jean Moulin Road, Freedom Road

  This road was inaugurated in 1978, nine years after the memorial at Salon-de-Provence which also pays tribute to Jean Moulin. It leaves Saint-Andiol and ends in Salon-de-Provence. Very attached to the Alpilles, where he owned a small country house, Jean Moulin chose this familiar land to be parachuted and to begin his mission of unification of resistance network of the unoccupied France.

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  Patrimony and history

  Saint Sixtus Chapel

  His name refers to Sixtus II, contemporary of St. Lawrence and pope of early Christian times. The chapel is located on an old place of worship: until the nineteenth century, it housed a pagan stele, which was then used as foot of holy water. The latter reflected a cult dedicated to the water. The first reference that is made regarding the chapel date of 1155. Significant changes were made in the sixteenth century. and seventeenth century, because it served as a lazaretto during the plagues of 1629 and 1720.

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  Panorama

  View on the Calans

  Here, the relief of the Alpilles is similar to limestone rocks forming a natural barrier. The latter limits access to the heart of the massif to small passages like the Pas du Suisse. On the left is the famous Calan de Rousset, isolated from the rest of the massif and 275 meters high.

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  Patrimony and history

  Pont dit Romain

  The bridge called Pont dit Romain does not date from Antiquity but from the Middle Ages. Its name still remains a mystery today. It was built on the chemin des Poissonniers, which was already used during Antiquity, to replace the crossing point that passes through the gaudre of Romanin (a gaudre is a temporary water body). This ancient route started from the chapel Notre-Dame de Piargues (or Notre-Dame-de-Romanin) and joined Mouriès crossing the Vallongue.

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  Produits du terroir

  Vineyard of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

  The AOC area of Les Baux-de-Provence is one of the hottest AOC areas, watered and early Provence wine. The soils of the AOC appellation of Baux-de-Provence are of stony clay and limestone, sandy gravel, clay and stony type. The grape varieties of AOC Baux de Provence are Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah, and also Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Counoise.

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  Water and rivers

  Northern Alpines Canal

  From Orgon, the network of the northern Alpines Canal stretches for 119 km and ends in the Roubines of Anguillon and Vigueirat. Begun in 1826, its construction was slowed by conflicts of interest and ended in 1875. At the time, it was intended to complete the Canal des Alpines meridionales finished in 1772, to supply water to 18 towns and 40 additional mills.

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  Patrimony and history

  Cross of Notre-Dame-du-Château Chapel

  This cross announces the path leading to the Romanesque chapel Notre-Dame-du-Château. This is mentioned for the first time in 1180 and was restored around 1419. Erected on the hill Saint-Michel-de-Briançon, it dominates the village of Saint-Etienne du Grès, former parish of the city of Tarascon. It was a priory chapel dependent on the Abbey Saint-Laurent of Avignon. Since 1350 she welcomed the "Belle Briançonne", a statue of the Virgin to the Child very famous from the Tarasconnais people.