Falaises d'ocre de Roussillon et la légende de Sermonde

Roussillon

Above Roussillon, in the Vaucluse, orange, red and yellow cliffs emerge from the greenery: former ochre quarries. For geologists, the colour comes from marine sands 110 to 95 million years old, which the tropical climate of the time transformed into clay mixed with iron oxides. They were extracted from the end of the 18th century to the middle of the 20th, for paints and mortars. Local tradition tells something else. According to the legend, lady Sermonde, wife of the lord Raimond de Roussillon, loved Guillaume de Cabestan. Raimond killed him while hunting, tore out his heart and had it served to his wife. When she understood, Sermonde threw herself from the top of the château, and her blood reddened the cliffs. But this tale comes from elsewhere. According to Wikipedia (EN), the medieval biography of the troubadour Guilhem de Cabestany speaks of Raimon de Castell Rosselló, in the Catalan Roussillon, and at least fourteen versions of this story of the eaten heart are known. Raimon himself was still living peacefully in 1218. The Luberon.fr page that reports the Vaucluse version cites no old text. The attachment to the village of Roussillon therefore seems a late, undated local tradition.

Getting there: The cliffs are walked via the Sentier des ocres, at Roussillon; prices, hours and circulation rules were not verified (enquire at the tourist office). Coordinates: entrance of the Sentier des ocres in OpenStreetMap.

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

Ambient sound