Malaucène

Malaucène is one of the three villages from which you can climb Mont Ventoux. But that's for another time.
Today we cycle through the Dentelles de Montmirail. First some information about Malaucène himself.
The region was conquered by the Romans as early as 125 BC BC. There are few remains from that time. However, there are still remains here and there of an aqueduct with the water from the source of Groseau that was supposed to supply the region with water.
In the Early Middle Ages, the region was the plaything of various rulers. In 1125, the region came under the control of the Counts of Toulouse. That is the birth of the Comtat Venaissan. The Counts of Toulouse are prosperous and gaining more and more power. They also develop their own culture and religion. That does not please the King of France and the Pope in Rome. He launched the Crusade against the Albingenians in 1208. In 1274 the region came into the hands of the Pope. Malaucène would remain under the control of the Pope for five centuries. In that period, among other things, the church of the village was built. In 1309, Pope Clement the fifth settled in Avignon. Groseau Abbey is his summer residence.
A little later, in 1336, the great Florentine poet Petrarch decides to climb the Ventoux from Malaucène. After that, the town is also ravaged by the plague. And to protect itself from itinerant gangs and looting during the Hundred Years' War, the city is strengthening its ramparts.
In the 16th century, several paper mills and mills were established along the Groseau. Later, in the 19th century, with the industrial revolution, Malaucène would grow into a real factory town. Of that industry, only a paper mill remains.

Wim Willems