Céreste
Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ®
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)
Population: 870
Altitude: 370 m
Nearby:
[ Apt 18 km | Banon 24 | Forcalquier 23 | Reillanne 7 | Luberon | Manosque 21 ]
Photos:
Larger photo of the church (17k)
The church tower with Campanile belfry (25k)
The 'Roman' bridge and stone farm (23k)
Below: [ History | Swimming | Cycling | Hiking | Lodging ]
Céreste is in the southwest corner of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, on the northern edge of the Luberon forest and inside the Parc Naturel du Luberon. The village sits at the head of a long, wide valley that stretches out towards the east. Immediately to the west, the Encrème river flows through a deep, rocky gorge. The western end of the village is perched on the edge of this gorge, and the ruins of the fortified walls of the medieval citadel attests to the defensive nature of the village in days gone by.
Viewed from the fields southwest of the village, near the cemetery, the ancient stone houses with their tile roofs are nestled into the low hill, following the contour of the land.
The village is large enough to have many shops and cafés, but too small for much local social facilities. There is a "Petit Musée" with a good collection of regional fossils.
The grounds around the 18th-century Eglise St-Michel are being cleared out (winter 95-96), exposing ancient Roman pillars. The large square bell tower has a 19th-century wrought-iron belfry (campanile).
Lavender fields on the road to Manosque blossom during the summer, and fill the air with fragrance during harvesting time from July to Sept.
Carluc
About 4 km northeast of the village, the 11th-century Prieuré de Montmajour is located at Carluc, on the site of an ancient Benedictine abbey.
Name
First record: Roman Catuiaca;
13th century, recorded as Ceresta
History
[ Top ]
Roman: Roman town of Catuiaca. There are many artifacts around Céreste that illustrate the Gallo-Roman occupation. Part of the roman road Voie Domitienne, a Roman pottery oven and pillars still remain. The Gallo-Roman remains at St-Sauveur include hypogeum and sarcophagus. Immediately out of the village to the east, and north of the road, the lovely "Roman bridge" (photo, 23k) is from the middle ages.
Medieval: Céreste was a barony in the middle of the 18th century, and later part of the Seigneurie des Forcalquier and then des Brancas.
- Dates, Numbers
- Market day: every other Thursday
- Fête: next-to-last Sunday in July
- Swimming Pools (Piscines)
- Piscine Municipale
- Open: July-Aug
- Bus (Autocar)
- See Luberon page.
Cycling
The Luberon en Vélo cycling path runs 100 km between Cavaillon, Apt and Forcalquier.
- Centres Equestres
- Route de Vitrolles (D31):
- Ferme Equestre "La Florentine" - tel: (33) 492 79 05 64
- Other riding stables are located in nearby villages:
- la Bastide-des-Jourdans (17 km south, past Vitrolles)
- les Courbons (6 km east)
- St. Martin-de-la-Brasque (18 km, south of the Luberon)
- Viens (12 km north)
Maps: IGN (1:25,000) 3242 ouest, 3242 est; Didier Richard (1:50,000) #14 "Luberon Sainte-Victoire".
The Grande Randonnée GR4 passes through the village of Céreste. To the east, the GR4 goes along a forested ridge and then loops down through the village of Pierrevert and on into the town of Manosque. To the north, the GR4 goes up to the village of Oppedette and then on to Simiane-la-Rotonde. From Oppedette, a trail goes east about 10-12 km to St-Michel-l'Observatoire, although this part follows small roads for most of the distance.
From the GR4 east of Céreste, a couple of trails branch south onto the mountain ridge of the Luberon. From there, GR trails traverse the mountains east-west, with others going on south.
