Demandolx

Overview

commune

Where to stay in Demandolx

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What to see, what to do

Belvederes over the Lac de Castillon and the Lac de Chaudanne

The road to Demandolx is a panoramic route dotted with rest areas and viewpoints. From the orientation table and picnic area at the Ferme Brûlée, the panorama takes in the Chaudanne reservoir and Lac de Castillon. Many walking trails of all levels start from the village.

Church of Notre-Dame de Couenches (or de Conches)

A church in a commanding position above Lac de Castillon, probably built in the 13th century as a funerary chapel.

Parish church of Saint-Michel

A 16th-17th century church (also referred to under the dedication of Saint-Pierre-et-Paul, with Saint Fortunat as patron), raised to the rank of parish church in 1842 (diocese of Digne, Riez and Sisteron). Wall paintings restored in 2001.

Chapel of Saint-Fortunat (Saint-Pierre) at Ville

A chapel in the hamlet of Ville, whose dating is disputed (11th century according to Collier, 14th century according to the DRAC; a 13th-century chancel according to the Atlas historique de Provence). Barrel vault, Lombard influence. Partly collapsed; the north wall retains two chapels.

Ruins of the fortified château (Ville)

The original 11th-century château, in ruins on the ridge at about 1,175 m above sea level. Destroyed during the Wars of Religion (1564) and then rebuilt.

Dolmen of Villevieille

A dolmen bearing witness to Neolithic occupation; another megalith with a resonance chamber is reported at Le Clouet.

Paoutas bridge

A bridge from 1972, one of the first curved prestressed concrete bridges with a single pier.

Remains submerged beneath Lac de Castillon

An old bridge over the Verdon (ruined in 1652 and then rebuilt), a mill and the country house known as the château du Verdon were submerged when Lac de Castillon was filled.

History of Demandolx

The château was built at the end of the 11th century at the locality of Ville; the Demandolx family, attested from 1304, held the fief there until the Revolution. In May 1564, during the Wars of Religion, the Protestant lord Gaspard de Demandolx was besieged by the Catholics; the castellan was overtaken and massacred with his family, and the château destroyed, before being rebuilt within the following eight years. The Napoleonic land register was completed in 1834. In the 20th and 21st centuries, terraced farming (fruit, fodder, vines) was gradually abandoned in favour of transhumance pastoralism alone; the commune's main tax revenue comes from the Chaudanne and Castillon dams and hydroelectric power stations. Tourism remains modest, driven by the exceptional setting of the lakes and by walking.