IN SUNNY PROVENCE

The Venice of the Comtat and the prestigious Luberon and Ventoux mountains
Antiques, bric-a-brac, Sunday market, hotels, restaurants, artists and crafsmen,
with its emerald-green river, it is unspoilt France at its best and this is what you can expect

1. Paris
2. Avignon
3.L'Isle sur la Sorgue
4.Marseille

Tourist Office : Place de la liberté
                           84800 L'Isle sur la Sorgue
                           FRANCE
                           Tel :           (33) (0)4-90-38-04-78
                           Fax :          (33) (0)4-90-38-35-43
                           And now a New Website for your needs concerning the "Pays Des Sorgues"
That is to say the following places:
Le Thor, Fontaine de Vaucluse, Chateauneuf de Gadagne, Saumane and L'Isle Sur La Sorgue

www.oti-delasorgue.fr

mail: islesurlasorgue@oti-delasorgue

   L'isle sur la sorgue was built on islands, it is crossed and surrounded by five branches of the River Sorgue.
  It is 7 Km away from the mysterious spring of the emerald-green river : Fontaine de Vaucluse.

Climate:
Mediterranean with an average temperature of 13°5 c and 2788 hours of sunshine.

Population:
About 15,600 inhabitants.

Altitude:
59 m

Flora:
Extremely rich, with 40% of all the species one can find in France.

Activity:
Agriculture - Grapes and wine, truffles, olives and olive oil, vegetables, cherries, apricots,
                      strawberries and melons etc...
Industry      - Various activities among which the food industry
Tourism     - A thriving activity
Antiques    - It is the Capital of Antiques in Provence

History: A few landmarks

   Before the Roman conquest of Gaul, an "oppidum" already existed at Margoye on the Apt Road. It was then populated by Celto-Ligurians and its name was"Mag Kao"
   During the Roman occupation, which started in 122 BC and ended in 476 AD, an "Insula" was populated by fishermen in a marshy area.

   In the VIth Century, with Christianisation gaining ground, it was given the name of "Vicus Sancti Laurentii" which means "Saint Laurent's Parish". Its main activities were fishing and growing cereals.
   Thre were several Saracen and Lombard invasions from the VIIIth to the Xth Century.
   In Medieval times, it belonged to the Marquis de Provence, then to the Count of Toulouse and then to the Holy See. The town was named "Insula" by Pope Benedict VIII in 1203.
   In the XIIth Century the town was built on posts in what was still a marshy area.
   In the XIIIth Century it was called "Insula in Venisse" and became prosperous; it was the time when "Comtat Venaissin" (The area between the River Rhône, the River Durance and Mount Ventoux ) was ceded by Philippe III to Pope Gregory X (1274 ).
   Following the Crusades against the Albigeois (1208-1229) and the Cathares in Occitania, started by Pope Innocent III, Provence was ruled by a single administration and Pope
Gregory X made sure all the land on the left bank of the River Rhône became a Papal Possession. It was achieved in 1274. The Brotherhood of Fishermen were given exclusive rights of fishing the River Sorgue by Pope Benedict XIII in 1403 under the patronage of "Notre Dame de la Sorguette". The local fishermen supplied the Popes and the Church Authorities with fish for five centuries. (NB: That Brotherhood, the "Confrari di Pescadori Lilen" still exists and so do the traditional flat bottom boats they used the famous "Nego Chin". The fishermen lived in the "Bouîgas" district, where you will find "Eel Street".
   The wool industry developed thanks to the water wheels -mainly in the "Arquet" district. The blanquets manufactured in the region were called "blanquets".
The wool industry still exists and the waterwheels you can see along the river are the photographers' delight.

Waterwheel Place Rose Goudard: Sunshine and water are here to play
   In the XIV and XVth Century many Jews found refuge in L'Isle, Carpentras, Pernes and Cavaillon. Contrary to Christians, they were allowed to deal with money lending and  they had a lot of experience in banking. Place de la Juiverie in L'Isle was their district. At the beginning of the XVIth Century 100 families out of a total of  1,000 were Jewish.
   In the XIVth, XVth and XVIth  Century L'Isle was a fortified town and depended on the Popes. It became a refuge during the Wars of Religion(1562-1598). The Plague did not spare the population (epidemics in 1458, 1628, 1629 and 1721).

  In 1768, just before the Revolution of 1789, a survey showed that 120 silk workshops worked exclusively for Jews out of the 200 that existed.
   The Revolutionary period saw the population dwindle from 8,000 to 1,000 as many inhabitants were massacred and in 1808 only 6 Jewish families remained in L'Isle.The Synagogue was pulled down in 1856.

   The waterwheels that were used to produce flour, olive oil, silk and paper gradually became obsolete.
   Situated in a fertile plain and thanks to irrigation water from the River Durance L'Isle Sur La Sorgue is a fruit producing area.
   In the heart of sunny Provence, close to Avignon and Marseille it is a popular destination with holidaymakers.
   It is also the Capital of Antiques in Provence with hundreds of antique dealers and a lovely bric-a-brac every Sunday.

Poppy field / Coquelicots à L'Isle Sur La Sorgue en Provence
Gosh ! ... Aren't they big ?

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