Sault

Sault, once the capital of the ‘Comté’ (county), is perched on a large rock, hanging above the valley that also carries its name and is set on the most southern part of the Plateau d’Albion in the Vaucluse department. With its 1314 habitants Sault is bigger than the surrounded average villages in this part of the Provence and is therefore much more vivid, especially in the summer.

Sault-en-Provence is to be discovered from the roads coming from Apt or Carpentras. Taking the D1 (Route de Carpentras) to Sault you have to most beautiful view on the provençal village. You leave ‘La Gabelle’ behind you, a stunning landscape of mountains with impressive valleys that certainly is worth driving around. When possible, take a quick look back after passing

the village of Villes-sur-Auzon when you go uphill to ‘Le Col de Gabelle’: the view is really indescribable, heaven wide from where - with a clear blue sky- miles away you even can see Avignon. The view on Sault with behind the Plateau d’Albion is certainly not less impressive: from a distance it looks if Sault is set

on a little hill and you almost forget that the village is built on a rock with an altitude of 766 meters hanging on the enormous plateau, a plateau that is part of a huge mountain landscape.

The area that Sault covers, together with the valley - also called ‘les Pays de Sault’ (the land of Sault)- can be seen as the largest of the Vaucluse and is mainly dedicated to agriculture. Sault is famous of its landscape consisting of numerous purple lavender fields combined with blond cornfields that creates a beautiful palette of colors with all its lines and forms that cannot escape your attention.

You can admire this unique landscape of lavender and corn the most on the other side of Sault, in the centre. On this side a high and long ‘contrefort’ (abutment) holding a big square – where the local people play the petanque every night - gives a panoramic view on the valley.

The lavender fields around Sault take part of the lavender routes (les Routes de lavande), specially planned routes that show the most beautiful lavender fields of the Provence. The routes tell a history, show a ‘savoir-faire’ and e real economy but most of all they let you enjoy an admirable colorful and aromatic region. The lavender routes pass by distilleries, lavender producers, cultural ateliers, museums and gardens.

You can see the importance of the lavender in the large number of festivities and activities that are organized. In Sault, every year on the 15^th of august just after the lavender harvest, the lavender feast takes place (la Fête de la Lavande). On this last day of the patrimonial feast of Sault (fête votive) in the outskirts of Sault, at the ‘Hippodrome du Défends’- a marvelous racecourse with on the inside a beautiful lavender field - everyone who loves lavender come together. 

Every year on the first day of the patrimonial feast an official horse show is organized and on the lavender feast day several activities taking place such as a lavender cutting contest, performances of folkloric provençal groups and a provençal concert. On this celebration day local artists show their paintings of lavender fields at an exposition, lavender products are sold and at noon a big farmer meal is offered in the shadow of the oak trees, rich of local products. A very famous local delicacy is the nougat of Sault: Andre Boyer’s ‘nougaterie’ and ‘pâtisserie’ (nougat and confectioner’s shop) at the Place de l’Europe for generations makes the most delicious nougat of the South of France.

Sault has a historical centre where the Nôtre Dame de la Tour’ church, next to ‘Place du Marché’ is the most important monument. The church, classified on the list of National Monuments of France, was an abbey of  Saint-André of Villeneuve-lez-Avignon back in the 12^th century. The museum of Sault, one of the oldest in this region of the Provence and founded by Henri Chrestian, keeps collections from the Prehistory, the gallo-roman period and the Middle Ages and possesses even some Egyptian objects.

Since april the 5^th 1515, a weekly market is held in the village, every Wednesday. A highlight for the habitants of Sault and a place to meet each other.