Bargème

Overview

A commune.

Where to stay in Bargème

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Services & shops in Bargème

EV charging — in the village: Parking Du Chateau (2 points), network eborn. See the map of Verdon charging points →

What to see, what to do

Château de Sabran de Pontevès (Château de Bargème)

A castle of dressed stone mentioned as early as 1225, built on the rocky spur overlooking the village. Cradle of the powerful Sabran-Pontevès family, lords of the place. Partly destroyed and plundered during the Wars of Religion (dismantling from 1579 onwards), never rebuilt; it retains its outer defensive elements (ruined towers and curtain walls). Bought back by the commune of Bargème on 17 January 2008; municipal property.

Church of Saint-Nicolas

A 12th-century Romanesque building restored in the 1990s-2000s, along with its altarpieces — including a half-relief altarpiece of Saint Sebastian from 1525. Bells dated 1504 and 1702.

Chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs

An expiatory chapel built in 1607 following the murder of the Pontevès lords during the Wars of Religion; its construction was ordered by the Parlement as reparation.

Chapel of Sainte-Pétronille

A Romanesque chapel where worship continues; the blessing of bread and salt on 31 May.

Chapel of Saint-Laurent

A chapel overlooking the hamlet of Saint-Laurent.

Chapels of Saint-Antoine and Saint-Romain

Other small religious buildings in the commune's territory.

Ramparts and fortified gates

A partially preserved medieval wall, with two fortified gates and a network of narrow lanes characteristic of the hilltop village.

Fountain-wash house and communal oven

Features of the traditional village heritage.

History of Bargème

The site is mentioned in the form 'Bergemulu' in 814; the name, of Indo-European origin, is thought to evoke a fortifiable height. The seigneury belonged to the Pontevès family (which became Sabran-Pontevès) from 1220. In the 16th century, during the Wars of Religion, the lord Jean-Baptiste de Pontevès came into conflict with the inhabitants of Callas. In April 1579, a Huguenot commando entered the village: Pierre de Pontevès was murdered and the castle was plundered and then largely demolished; Jean-Baptiste de Pontevès was captured and killed on 24 May 1579, and several of his sons were executed in the following years. In 1607, the Parlement condemned those responsible and ordered the construction of an expiatory chapel — the present-day Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs. The commune then went through a long depopulation from the 19th to the 20th century (356 inhabitants in 1793, about 92 in 1946), before stabilising thanks to rural tourism. Population of about 207 inhabitants in 2023.

Events & highlights

Blessing of bread and salt — 31 May

A celebration at the chapel of Sainte-Pétronille.