Ermitage Saint-Jacques de Cavaillon

Cavaillon

Above Cavaillon, the colline Saint-Jacques overlooks the Durance. The Cavares, a Celto-Ligurian people, gave their name to its former name, the mont Caveau. The hill carried an oppidum, and dwellings occupied its caves from prehistoric times. In the 12th century a small chapel was built there, which gives the hill its present name. It perhaps stands on the site of an ancient temple of Jupiter, but this is only a hypothesis. Around 1300 a hermitage settled there, under the influence of the chapter of Cavaillon. In the 16th century it was entrusted to the Fathers of the Christian Doctrine, a congregation founded by César de Bus. Hermits occupied it until 1804. The whole has been listed as a historic monument since 15 April 1911 and belongs to the commune. Restored in the 19th century and again in 1992, the chapel keeps a sober decoration, like the rural chapels of Provence.

French Ministry of Culture, Mérimée database — Ermitage Saint-Jacques (ancien), Cavaillon ↗

Getting there: Colline Saint-Jacques, above Cavaillon. Free entry. Opening times are uncertain: the Parc du Luberon page gives two versions (15 June-30 September, 3 pm-6.30 pm; or 9.30 am-12.30 pm in summer 2026), closed on Tuesdays. Check with the town hall or the tourist office before climbing.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound