Brunet

Overview

A commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04), on the northern rim of the Valensole plateau, in the Asse valley. It belongs to Provence-Alpes Agglomération. Postal code 04210.

Where to stay in Brunet

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What to see, what to do

Church of Saint-Martin

A church of Romanesque origin. The area had two successive places of worship: an older church linked to the original castrum and a more recent church built halfway down the slope. The upper building in the village, in good condition, has been converted into a private house.

Ruins of Vieux Brunet and the feudal château

Remains of the feudal settlement of Vieux Brunet, on the esplanade overlooking the village. A street known as rue du Château leads to a high retaining wall built of river stones, all that is left of a former seigneurial residence now turned into an ordinary building. The château itself dates from the 17th century.

Traces of the Templars

According to Abbé Féraud, a Templar establishment is said to have stood about 1 km from the village; ruins of a former monastery attributed to it are also reported, along with tomb inscriptions on a house. These elements belong to local tradition and need confirmation.

Chapel of la Tuilière

A chapel in the hamlet of la Tuilière.

Gallo-Roman remains

Roman-period graves were uncovered in the 1950s at the localities of Trabaye, Louvière and Ricavi; a Gallo-Roman route followed the Asse valley and remained in use until the end of the first millennium.

Plan d'eau du Couvent

This small man-made lake below the village is a quiet spot to relax. Facilities and access should be checked with the town hall beforehand.

Panorama over the Asse valley

From the perched village, a wide view over the Asse valley and the rim of the Valensole plateau; a setting of lavender, arable crops and olive trees on the sunny slopes.

History of Brunet

The village is mentioned for the first time in the charters in 990. Like the whole of Haute-Provence, it went through a sharp demographic decline in the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1506 a marquisate of Trans was created for the Villeneuve family, to which the territory was attached. In 1851 the commune took part in the resistance to Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte's coup d'état: eight inhabitants were brought before the mixed commission, deportation to Algeria being the most common sentence at the time. A boys' school existed from 1863. The economy long remained agricultural and varied: vine growing, once widespread, was abandoned in the 20th century, while peach and olive trees marked the slopes. Today farming is still dominant (arable crops on more than half the surface, around twenty farms), and in the 2000s the commune stood out for its large supply of furnished holiday lets.