Medieval and picturesque, Séguret is unusual in more ways than one.
A village with a Different Layout
Seen from a distance, the village looks like a white narrow belt that fronts the flank of a hill. It’s unexpected in an area where villages tend to be built around the church and market place like in nearby Sablet. Yet, it fits its stronghold purpose.
Travel Back to the 18th Century or Earlier
When you arrive from the north, park your car outside the gates. Walk towards the impressive 12th century entrance called Porte Reynier, also known as Portail de la Bise (La bise refers to le mistral, the mighty northern wind).
While standing in front of the porch, take in the thick walls, notice the arrow slit.
Until the 18th century, a fortification linked the porch to the medieval castle now ruined that sits atop the hill.
It was demolished to allow for bigger houses with larger openings.
When you enter the fortified village, you’ll feel like you’re stepping into another world. A world where security was a serious business. The name Séguret itself comes from the provençal word -segur meaning safe or secure.
A working village
Hilltop medieval villages tended, in the mid 20th century, to crumble into ruin, abandoned for more convenient locations in the valley, closer to fields or more prosperous villages.
This fate was shared by Séguret until the mid 1950s when the local community decided to take matters into their own hands.
The association les Amis de Séguret was born. It worked to rebuild the village and in a general manner to, roughly translated, ‘seek and use all means suitable to increase Séguret’s vitality and to ‘reattach’ to it all persons born here’.
A smart way to encourage everyone living there to belong and…contribute.
It’s worth noting this because they chose to make it possible for younger generations and their families to stay in the village. Furthermore, the few shops available are let to local artisans and artists rather than samey franchises that encroach upon many picturesque streets in Provence.
Other moribond villages often owe their resurrection to one courageous person, a man or a woman who came to visit, fell in love with the place and decided to invest money, time and energy to bring it back to life. The village survives but many houses tend to stay empty part of the year.
In Séguret however, activities and events take place throughout the year with the participation of the villagers and often under the auspices of les Amis de Séguret.
For example, during the summer, the association organises art exhibitions in the Chapelle Saint Thècle and the local community holds a local farmers’ and artisans’ market once a week in the evening.
La Fontaine des Mascarons
Once you’ve gone through the Portail de la Bise, you’ll walk along the narrow cobblestone street of la rue des Poternes lined with houses hugging each other.
Soon, you’ll reach la Fontaine des Mascarons. Mascarons are the 4 sculpted grotesque heads with open mouth that let the precious water flow.
Originally, these faces were used to frighten away evil spirit. Later, they became a decorative detail.
I love a beautiful fountain in working order, and even better, one that say eau potable, water that’s safe to drink. What about you? And I can’t resist dipping my hands under the cool, running water especially on a sweltering summer day…
Built in the 17th century, the fountain remained for a long time the only source of water in the village. It was fetched daily. For drinking; cooking; washing; the animals; watering plants…
At the back of the fountain, during the 19th century and until the beginning of the last century, women washed clothes, often with cold water, in the communal wash house. A tough task.
The fountain was the centre of the village, a meeting place to catch up on news and gossip. Its position next to the belfry is not incidental.
The Belfry
Imagine you are a farmer working in a remote field. You have no watch. No smartphone. Just your knowledge of the seasons and how the sun moves across the sky. Suddenly you hear le tocsin: the bell rings to warn you something has happened. What do you do? I guess you’d know depending on its sound!
Protected by an elaborate wrought-iron campanile sitting on top of the belfry, this particular bell has announced the events that punctuate village life since 1660. And today, it still rings to mark the passage of time.
Le portail neuf
You carry on down the street, discover more places of interest including la Chapelle Sainte Thècle, a few artisan shops and places to eat and drink.
At the end of the street, you’ll see the heavy wooden doors of Le Portail Neuf unchanged since the 14th century.
If these doors could tell stories!
La Place des Arceaux
Beyond Le Portail Neuf, a cool shaded square, la place des arceaux beckons you. Branches of the plane trees planted in 1860 have fused with each other naturally to form wonderful patterned shadows on the ground.
Nearby, you’ll also notice a second fountain dating from 1800.
L’Eglise Saint Denis
It’s time to take the higher street towards the church, l’église Saint Denis first build in the 10th century and renovated on several occasions since.
On the church square, stop a moment by the orientation table. When the sky is blue and a few fluffy white clouds skitter by on a mistral day, you’ll see far in the distance.
Fabulous Views
The village looks west towards its vineyards (with the appellation Séguret AOC Côtes du Rhône Villages), Plan de Dieu’s vineyards and beyond, to the Rhône Valley. A great spot for spectacular sunsets.
To the south and the east, first the village of Sablet and then rolling hills covered with woods, orchards and olive groves interspersed with more vineyards lead the eye to a striking rocky outcrop popular with hikers and climbers, les Dentelles de Montmirail.
La Rue du Four
You’ll often found a ‘rue du four’ in medieval villages. It suggests the emplacement of the communal oven called four banal where you could bring your bread to bake.
The dynamic Amis de Séguret refurbished one in 1988 and now it’s regularly used during festivals.
For instance, during a Christmas fair, I had the pleasure of tasting the local tart made with grated apples called la panade. It’s even mentioned in the classic book, Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean Cookery.
The pastry with a latticed top was crumbly and buttery. The grated apples flavoured with cinnamon melted in the mouth. It tasted like more.
I wondered, in old times, did the locals enjoy the same desert baked in a wood fired oven?
They had to pay for the right to bake their bread and as part of the deal were allowed to bake a dessert or two.
The visit is coming to an end but I almost forgot, Séguret is recognised as one of the most beautiful villages, one of only 158 villages in France.
So it’s well worth a visit, don’t you think?