Ermitage Saint-Honorat de Roquefavour

Ventabren

At the bottom of a dell near the great aqueduct, a Romanesque hermitage is backed against the rock. This is the hermitage of Saint-Honorat de Roquefavour. The Mérimée record makes it a dependency of the church of Aix in the 9th century, restored in 1819. The leaflet of the commune of Ventabren speaks of a priory attached to the abbey of Montmajour in 966, but specifies that the date of foundation is unknown. Sold as national property in 1791, the place changed owners several times. A hermit then lived there, by agreement with the diocese of Aix, until the latter withdrew during the First World War. After the aqueduct of 1847 and the arrival of the railway, pilgrims and walkers flocked there; the leaflet cites George Sand, Lamartine and Napoleon III among the visitors. Tombs can still be seen behind the building. The inscription of 23 August 1990 protects the remains of the hermitage and the neighbouring rock faces.

French Ministry of Culture — Mérimée PA00081509 ↗

Getting there: In an isolated dell of Ventabren, near the Roquefavour aqueduct (route de Roquefavour, D 64). The Mérimée record indicates private property; the commune says it has acquired the site in order to restore it. No opening times were found: enquire at the town hall before coming, as the interior is not guaranteed to be open.

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

Ambient sound