Les Pénitents des Mées

Les Mées

Above the village of Les Mées rises a wall of conglomerate pillars — pebbles bound in a natural cement from the deposits of the Valensole basin — up to 114 metres high in places and more than a kilometre long. Seen from the valley, these tightly packed, pointed spires form a motionless procession that irresistibly evokes hooded monks — hence their name, the Pénitents (Penitents). Local legend explains the scene: around the year 800, the lord Raimbaud, returning victorious from a Saracen camp, is said to have brought back seven captives of great beauty and kept them in his castle instead of handing them over, to the great scandal of the monks of the Lure mountain. Forced to give them up, he had them led out of the country before the eyes of the whole population; the monks, who had come down to watch them leave, let themselves be troubled by the women's beauty. To spare them damnation, Saint Donatus, from his hermitage, is said to have turned them to stone on the spot, still in their monks' habits. The story, also known as that of the "petrified monks," has been the subject of a university study on the legend of the Saracens in the Sisteron area. Today the Sentier des Pénitents lets visitors walk right at the foot of this stone procession, and understand why these shapes occupied the villagers' imagination for centuries.

Commune des Mées — Les Pénitents ↗

Getting there : The Sentier des Pénitents starts from the heart of the village of Les Mées, through the lanes toward the Saint-Roch chapel, then follows the ridges above the Durance valley; allow 1h30 to 2h for the loop, moderate elevation gain but a very sun-exposed slope. Free access year-round. The rocks are also clearly visible from the road and from the opposite bank of the Durance.

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

Ambient sound