La Rotonde de Simiane-la-Rotonde

Simiane-la-Rotonde

A crown of Romanesque stone watching over the lavender plateau of Haute-Provence.

Crowning the hilltop village of Simiane-la-Rotonde, this imposing dodecagonal keep from the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries is the only remnant still standing of the feudal castle of the lords of Agoult-Simiane, whose existence is attested from 1031. Its interior architecture surprises with a vault supported by piers framed with slender columns and punctuated by ten blind arcades sheltering niches, a rare aesthetic choice for a building of defensive purpose. Listed as a monument historique as early as 1862, the rotunda benefited from restoration campaigns in 1875 and again in 1979–1980.

Getting there : Listed as a monument historique since 1862; open to visitors, temporary exhibitions held in the rotunda

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

Ambient sound