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Home > Discover the Alpes de Haute-Provence > Towns, small towns and typical villages > Saint Etienne les Orgues
Saint Etienne les Orgues
Sheltered by the Montagne de Lure | TOURIST INFORMATION |
List of SELF-CATERING GITES in the district.
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MORE ABOUT THIS VILLAGE IN HAUTE-PROVENCEThe village is located at the bottom of the montagne de Lure and at the northern end of an extremely fertile plain. The mountain's beneficial presence gives it its micro-climate with cool nights, much appreciated in summer.
Saint-Etienne played an important role in trade in history, located as it is where the communication routes linking the Forcalquier basin, the Dauphiné, the Rhône valley and the Alps meet. The clergy, and plant peddlers went from one region to the other. The economy, traditionally based on agriculture and forestry, has diversified with the development of summer and winter tourism: a small alpine ski resort operates on the Montagne de Lure when there is sufficient snow.
Wander round the village with pleasure and through the narrow streets of the old centre with its XVth century facades, beautiful sculpted doors and its stone shop-fronts. Several beautiful bories (round dry stone shepherds' huts) and old dry stone sheepfolds are scattered around this peaceful landscape.
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HERITAGE |
- Abbey of Lure : XIIth century.
- Church of Saint-Etienne : Romanesque.
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MAIN EVENTS |
- Market : Wednesday morning.
- Library Fridays : 2 Fridays a month.
- Star-gazing : summer.
- Foire à l’Herboristerie (Herbalist's Fair) : 14th July.
- Fête votive : 1st weekend in August.
- Pilgrimages to Notre-Dame de Lure : 15th August and 8th September.
- FChristmas Fair : beginning of December.
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THE MONTAGNE DE LURE | In the middle of 50.000 ha of wild forests, garrigues and aromatic plants, the Montagne de Lure looks as if it is watching over the surrounding villages. The Lure range measures 8 km from its base to the ridge.
It is made up of an assembly of slopes, hills, mountains, precipitous peaks, separated by narrow valleys known as « combes », and covered mostly according to the altitude, in ash or downy oak forests. There are a great number of aromatic and medicinal plants to be found in quantity, the most famous being the gentian which is used to make an appetising and digestive liqueur. In the region of Saint-Etienne some of the highest peaks of the Lure range are to be found, the highest is at 1.827 m.
From the geological point of view, the southern slope of the mountain is a neocomian formation, the plain of Saint-Etienne is green limestone, and the mountain of Brecugne freshwater molasse which is one of the subdivisions of tertiary terrain.
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NOTRE DAME DE LURE | The very old chapel of Notre-Dame de Lure is located in the middle of the forests which spread north from Saint-Etienne. It is on the site of an oratory where a pious anchorite, Saint-Donat, went to pray around the year 500 AD. After his death, the abbey of Val-Benoît sent clergy and had a chapel and a monastery built for them which were destroyed by the Sarracens in 950 AD.
The buildings were rebuilt around two centuries later (1166) and were destroyed again during the religious wars and rebuilt in 1636 by the town council of. The cloister, which was on the plateau, was replaced at the same time by a very modest construction called the hermitage.
Today, the chapel is being renovated by the association des Amis de Notre-Dame de Lure which organizes pilgrimages there on 15th August and 8th September.
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TRAVELLING PEDDLERS AND CHEMISTS | The many peddlers from this "huge apothecary" of the montagne de Lure were both herbalists (those who gather the plants), druggists (those selling simples and remedies), and even spice-merchants (those selling spices).
During the last century, Saint-Etienne was one of the most prosperous villages in Haute-Provence thanks to the druggist and herbalist trades: nearly all remedies were prepared and made there! Travelling druggists left around the end of October for the Languedoc, Auvergne, Bourgogne…, leading mules loaded with many voluminous parcels.
After the Revolution, they took the older and vaguer name of trader, whereas their descendants joined the professions of chemist, doctor, or became men of law. One of these pharmaceutical wealths was a famous vermifuge which had demonstrated its efficiency and which was in all the main chemists: it was called « Ermitage de Notre-Dame de Lure ».
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ACTIVITIES - FACILITIES |
- Swimming pool : open in July and August. Tel. 04.92.73.06.12.
- Tennis.
- Observatoire Bianchi : at the top of Lure.
- Hiking: many trails in the Montagne de Lure.
- Riding centre.
- Clay pigeon shooting.
- Cycle-touring : many circuits.
- Medialibrary : many activities (library, cinema, judo, dancing, yoga). Tel. 04.92.73.14.23.
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FOR THE FAMILY |
- Day care centre.
- Children's games area.
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WHEN THERE IS SUFFICIENT SNOW |
- Station de ski de Lure : 6 runs, 2 skilifts, sled run, snowshoe trails. Tel. 04.92.73.05.46.
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VILLAGES AROUND |
- Chateauneuf-Val-Saint-Donat : quiet village away from main roads, but ideally located in the middle of a triangle made up of Forcalquier-Sisteron-Digne : perfect as a starting point. Worth a visit: chapel of Saint-Donat, dry stone bories (shepherds' huts). List of SELF-CATERING GITES in the district.
- Cruis : the remains of the old abbey, a VIth century sculpted stone, "santons" (figurines) listed Historical Monument a XVIIthe century gilt-wood altar-piece, dry-stone sheepfolds and the department's Music Festival last weekend in June. Listed a « Village et Cité de Caractère ». List of SELF-CATERING GITES in the district.
- Mallefougasse-Auges : pretty village surrounded by beautiful landscapes at the foot of the Montagne de Lure. Worth a visit: XVIIth century church of Saint-Jean Baptiste, listed Historical Monument Historique, chapel of Auges. List of SELF-CATERING GITES in the district.
- Ongles : made up of 8 hamlets around the foot of the Montagne de Lure and a few isolated farms. Worth a visit: XVIIth century church), chapel of Notre-Dame d’Ongles, ruins of Vière (site of the primitive village), Rocher d’Ongles. List of SELF-CATERING GITES in the district.
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OTHER INFORMATION |
- Altitude : 687 m.
- Population : 873 inhabitants.
- To get here :
- by road : A 51 motorway, from the north Peyruis exit then D 951, from the south La Brillanne exit then N 100 to Forcalquier andD 13.
- by train : Manosque SNCF station then coach.
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