Saint-Laurent-du-Verdon

Overview

A commune of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04), arrondissement of Forcalquier, canton of Valensole, part of the Durance-Luberon-Verdon Agglomération (DLVA) and of the Verdon Regional Nature Park. Postcode 04500. It is one of the smallest communes in the area.

Where to stay in Saint-Laurent-du-Verdon

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Services & shops in Saint-Laurent-du-Verdon

EV charging — in the village: LA FARIGOULETTE CIEL A VILLAGE (2 points), network LA FARIGOULETTE CIEL A VILLAGE. See the map of Verdon charging points →

What to see, what to do

Château de Saint-Laurent-du-Verdon

The present château was built at the end of the 17th century on the orders of Claude de Castellane: an elegant quadrangular building flanked by four corner towers, with tiers of arched windows and a monumental round-arched doorway on the south front, and inside a monumental Louis XIV-style gypserie chimneypiece. It replaced a 15th-century castle, of which only remains embedded in village houses survive. Privately owned (the façade can be seen from outside); no protection as a historic monument is recorded. Tradition has it that Eugène de Mazenod, founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (canonised in 1995), wrote the congregation's Constitutions here, his family having been among the last lords of the place.

Parish church of Saint-Laurent

A 19th-century church with a massive bell tower, dedicated to Saint Laurent, whose furnishings come from the previous building. One remarkable feature: a reused Roman inscription serves as the base of the font.

Chapel of Notre-Dame (du Verdon)

An isolated chapel in the Notre-Dame quarter, on a hill at about 483 m, with a nave closed by a choir with a half-dome vault (probably 17th century), since restored. It offers a panorama over the left bank of the Verdon and the village of Artignosc, and is reached by a circular walk of about 6 km.

Fountain-wash house

A 17th-century fountain-wash house (dated 1647 according to one source).

Oil mill (today the hotel Le Moulin du Château)

A 17th-century former oil mill, kept with its millstone and its Provençal garden, at the foot of the château, converted into a small hotel of character.

Trail through the lower gorges of the Verdon

The lower gorges can be walked in particular via the Garde-Canal path (Quinson side, listed as a Sensitive Natural Area), on a loop of about ten kilometres. The Quinson reservoir, downstream, can be explored by canoe, pedalo or electric boat (combustion-engine boating and swimming are regulated there).

Dolmens and Gallo-Roman remains

Two dolmens in poor condition at the localities of Enriou and le Pont. At Plan Pelissier, Gallo-Roman remains have been recorded (foundations, lead pipes, 4th-century graves in tegulae); graves were uncovered in 1961 near the château and the church. The neighbouring commune of Quinson is also home to the Baume Bonne cave and the Musée de Préhistoire des Gorges du Verdon.

History of Saint-Laurent-du-Verdon

The place appears in 1274 as 'vicarius sancti Laurentii', in honour of Saint Laurent, a 3rd-century martyr. The area was frequented from the Palaeolithic and the Neolithic onwards. In the Middle Ages the lordship belonged to the Esparron family (12th century); in the 13th century Raimond Bérenger V, Count of Provence, confiscated the castrum of Guillaume d'Esparron, and the bishops of Riez were joint lords from 1234 to 1631. Several families followed (Vintimille, Barras, Pontevès, d'Agoult, Castellane, Villeneuve), the Mazenod being the last holders. During the Revolution, under the 1793 decree on names with religious connotations, the commune was renamed 'Saluber' (from the Latin saluber, 'healthy', a reference to its wholesome climate), before taking back the name of Saint-Laurent; the qualifier '-du-Verdon' was only added at the beginning of the 20th century. Long one of the smallest communes in the department, it has only ever had a very small population, marked by continuous decline since the middle of the 19th century.

Events & highlights

Village festival — 25 March

The village's traditional festival.

Saint-Laurent patronal festival — Sunday following 10 August

The festival of the village's patron saint.