Ventabren

Shrine of St-Joseph, south exit of the village in the Fontvieille district – square stone pillar with two niches back to back, two niches in the arch, and a flat four-sided roof over all.

In the 16th century, a chapel was built in the village to replace the Castle chapel (named after Queen Jeanne of Naples); the chapel was restored and enlarged in the 17th century and dedicated to St-Denis, a saint venerated throughout wine-growing country in place of the god Dionysius.

Altar piece by Simon Mascler (Avignon school of the 15th century), 12th century altar in gilt wood and 15th century fonts in carved stone.

Velaux

Around the year 1000, the site of the actual village was chosen, probably after a lordly decision. The inhabitants gathered together on the heights around the "castrum", which was probably built around the same time.

By the end of the 15th century, the village belonged to the Rousset family. It was repopulated by families from the Alps.

The château’s ruins, acquired by the town in 1981, were restored bit by bit from 1983 to 1994, the medieval vestiges are in complete harmony with the modern architecture which shelters the Donjon museum and together they form a perfectly integral part of the landscape.

Coudoux

The Church of St-Michel was inaugurated in 1746. Beneath its two-sided roof lies the façade which is decorated with an alcove containing a statue of the Virgin and child which itself is lit by an oculus. The sundial, which is to the left, dates from 1758 and bears the following Latin inscription “sic lucat lux vostra hoec ultima forsan” which translates as “may your hours shine like these. This hour that I mark may be the last.”
The inscription above the door reads “haec est domonus deî” which means “this is the house of God”. The windows were donated by the inhabitants of Coudoux in 1873-74.

Wayside crosses. Coudoux has four wayside crosses and one shrine:
- The Petit Coudoux cross erected in 1872, replaced by the present cross.
- The church cross was erected in 1851 and marked the end of the holy year.
- The cross at the top of the Chemin de la Croix (Way of the Cross) dates from 1777. It marked the end of an evangelistic mission in the country areas.
- The cross on the CD19 regional road was erected in 1911. It is a magnificent cross in wrought iron, mounted on a base of Rognes stone.
- The Montée de l'Oratoire shrine was built in 1690 and restored in 1824.

Lambesc

The Jaquemart clock (a historical listed monument). With its four figures representing the members of the Jacquemart family, this clock hasset the rhythm of life for the people of Lambesc since 1646. Baroque church: the 18th century Notre-Dame de l’assomption. Many private mansions from the 17th century (Cadenet, Charleval, Faudran de Laval, etc).

11 shrines:
> Shrine of Sacré-Coeur-de-Jésus (Sacred Heart of Jesus), near St-Cannat, 4 km.
> Shrine of St-Anne (angle of Rue Grande).
> Shrine of St-Roch (1720), RN Lambesc, Cazan 1 km from the village, to the left.
> Shrine of Sacré-Coeur.
> Shrine of Notre-Dame-de-la-Rose, 1680 (Avenue Verdun).It has an "inviolable" stone trunk for placing offerings.
> Shrine of St-Thérèse (towards Pélissanne 2 km).
> Shrine of St-Marc (towards Rognes 2 km).
> Shrine of Sainte-Croix (Holy Cross) (beside the stadium).
> Shrine of St-Catherine (towards Pélissanne 4 km).
> Shrine of St-Suffren, 1825 (RN7, 4 km).
> Shrine of St-Marie-Mère-de-l'Eglise (St-Mary-Mother- of-the-Church) (5 km).

La Roque d'Anthéron

Originally Catholic, La Roque is the only Vaudois town in the Aix Region. After visiting the Abbey of Silvacane, discover the Vaudois, whose dramatic story is often compared with that of the Cathars.

Through exhibitions and tours, you can learn about their secrets, their affinities with the Cistercians, their extermination, and the emergence of their American Indian descendants (exhibition).

You will also be impressed by the superb acoustics of the baroque church opposite the Black Virgin of La Roque and the Castle of Forbin (16th century and Renaissance).

Rognes

The Chapel and Hermitage of St-Marcellin are mentioned as early as the year 840 in the cartulary of the Abbey of St-Victorin Marseille. The site consists of a 12th century Romanesque chapel and a17th century Hermitage. The buildings were devastated by the 1909 earthquake and restored in 1989.

A pilgrimage took place at the end of April during which the new wine was blessed, and this tradition has now been revived, along side the CD 66 on the left-hand side (2 km).

> Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, 1607, in the centre of the village. A magnificent high altar and baroque altar pieces from the 17th century.
> Chapel of St-Denis (patron saint of the village) at the entrance to the village on the right. Built in memory of the plague of 1720, which the village escaped.

Saint Cannat

> Ruins of the Chapel of Notre-Dame de Vie, the first parish church of Saint-Cannat. Its origins are thought to go back to the 12th century. It was destroyed by the earthquake in 1909, and its ruins have been made into gardens.

> A reliquary from the 5th century in the parish church, classed as a Historical Monument.

> Restored Chapel of St-Cannat (17th century), dedicated to the town's patron saint, built to house the remains of St-Cannat.

> Statue of St-Cannat (17th century).

> Statue of Bailli de Suffren.

Eguilles - Les Figons

The Chapel of St-Alexis des Figons was built in the 17th century under the protection of Notre Dame de l'Assomption (the painted wooden statue of the Virgin from the 17th Century is probably the chapel’s first statue). The bell dates from 1661 and is said to have been blessed by His Grace J.

De Grimaldi, Cardinal Archbishop of Aix from 1655 to 1685. 1704 was the year the chapel was enlarged. Two paintings are of particular historic interest: one of the plague in Marseille in 1720 and the devotion of the Trinitarian order, and the other of St-Jean de Matha, founder of the Trinitarians.

As the land register of 1580 does not mention the chapel, it is estimated that the first chapel was built no later than 1660, since the bell tower was added in 1661.

See:
All tours - Tour 1 - Tour 2 - Tour 3 - Tour 4

Around Aix en Provence
	Aix en Provence region
	Cezanne tour
	Chapels and shrines
	Discovery tours in the Aix region
	Saint Victoire
	Things to see in Provence
	Guided tours

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