# Gordes
**Gordes** is a hilltop village in the Vaucluse department of southern France, perched at 340 meters on a rocky promontory of the Monts de Vaucluse overlooking the Calavon valley and the Luberon massif opposite[1](https://www.gordes-village.com/discover%2Chistory%2C151%2C55.html). It is classified among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and is one of the most visited villages in Provence[2](https://www.marseilletourisme.fr/en/places-see/heritage-culture/towns-villages/gordes/). Its houses are built of dry stone in tiers up the rock, crowned by a castle and a church, and the commune's heritage includes the 12th-century Sénanque Abbey and the nearby Village des Bories of dry-stone huts[2](https://www.marseilletourisme.fr/en/places-see/heritage-culture/towns-villages/gordes/) • [3](https://www.senanque.fr/histoire-de-labbaye-notre-dame-de-senanque/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Vaucluse (84), Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur; INSEE code 84050; arrondissement of Apt; member of the Communauté d'agglomération Luberon Monts de Vaucluse[4](https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/commune/84050-gordes) |
| Site | 340 m above sea level on a rocky spur of the Monts de Vaucluse, facing the Luberon[1](https://www.gordes-village.com/discover%2Chistory%2C151%2C55.html) |
| Territory | 48 km², from 630 m at the Monts de Vaucluse crest down to 120 m in the Calavon valley[5](https://www.gordes-village.com/admin-upload/files/Dossier%20complet.pdf) |
| Population | 1,661 inhabitants in 2023; density 34.6 per km²; 800 households[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=COM-84050) |
| Housing | 1,966 dwellings in 2023, of which 49.5% are second homes and 40.8% principal residences[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=COM-84050) |
| Label | Classified among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France[2](https://www.marseilletourisme.fr/en/places-see/heritage-culture/towns-villages/gordes/) |
| Main monuments | Castle (first mentioned 1031), Sénanque Abbey (founded 1148), Village des Bories (classified 1977)[7](https://www.gordes-village.com/en/patrimoine%2Cmusee%2Cthe-castle%2C157.html) • [3](https://www.senanque.fr/histoire-de-labbaye-notre-dame-de-senanque/) • [8](https://en.levillagedesbories.com/restoration.php) |
## Village and castle
The village developed from the 11th century around its fortified castle, becoming a true fortress protected by ramparts during the troubled periods of the Middle Ages[1](https://www.gordes-village.com/discover%2Chistory%2C151%2C55.html). The castle was first mentioned in 1031 and was redesigned in the 14th century when the region suffered attacks by the troops of Raymond de Turenne[7](https://www.gordes-village.com/en/patrimoine%2Cmusee%2Cthe-castle%2C157.html). Beginning in 1525, Bertrand Rambaud de Simiane, of the powerful Provençal family Simiane d'Agoult that dominated most Luberon villages, transformed and enlarged the feudal castle into a Renaissance residence[1](https://www.gordes-village.com/discover%2Chistory%2C151%2C55.html) • [7](https://www.gordes-village.com/en/patrimoine%2Cmusee%2Cthe-castle%2C157.html).
The lords of Gordes never lived in the castle, contenting themselves with the revenues of the seigneury; the building served as a prison, a harvest warehouse, and barracks[7](https://www.gordes-village.com/en/patrimoine%2Cmusee%2Cthe-castle%2C157.html). In the late 19th and early 20th centuries it housed village life, including a bar, a boys' school, a post office, a pharmacy, and the town hall[7](https://www.gordes-village.com/en/patrimoine%2Cmusee%2Cthe-castle%2C157.html). From 1970 to 1994 its great halls held the Vasarely educational museum, followed by a museum of the Flemish contemporary artist Pol Mara from 1995 to 2011; the castle is now a cultural center for exhibitions, and its monumental Renaissance chimney is noted for its dimensions and sculpture[7](https://www.gordes-village.com/en/patrimoine%2Cmusee%2Cthe-castle%2C157.html).
In the craft economy of the old village, silk spinning mills, tanneries, shoemaking, and wool weaving provided work for many inhabitants[9](https://www.gordes-village.com/decouvrir%2Chistoire-%2C95.html). Gordes was also a stopover for pilgrims on the way to [Santiago de Compostela](https://www.edgepedia.org/santiago-de-compostela)[2](https://www.marseilletourisme.fr/en/places-see/heritage-culture/towns-villages/gordes/).
## Sénanque Abbey
Sénanque Abbey, tucked in a small valley below the village among lavender fields, was founded on 23 June 1148 by a community of Cistercian monks from Mazan in Ardèche, and prospered thanks to donations from the Agoult Simiane family of Gordes and the lords of Venasque[3](https://www.senanque.fr/histoire-de-labbaye-notre-dame-de-senanque/). In 1444 the abbot Dom Bérenger Borgarelli described a catastrophic situation, with the monastery in ruins and revenues at their lowest because of the civil wars ravaging the region[3](https://www.senanque.fr/histoire-de-labbaye-notre-dame-de-senanque/). The church, cloister, and the building containing the chapter house and vaulted dormitory were classified as [Monument historique](https://www.edgepedia.org/monument-historique) by decree of 10 April 1921, with further parts of the west and south wings classified on 27 November 1970[10](https://pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/merimee/PA00082041). The abbey is still inhabited by monks who cultivate lavender and honey[2](https://www.marseilletourisme.fr/en/places-see/heritage-culture/towns-villages/gordes/).
## The Village des Bories
About 4 km from Gordes, on the slopes of the Monts de Vaucluse, the Village des Bories is the largest group of dry-stone huts in this part of the Luberon, where several hundred such constructions stand in the surrounding countryside[11](https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/monuments/bories-village/) • [12](https://www.destinationluberon.com/decouvrir/les-incontournables/village-des-bories). Formerly called Les Cabanes, it was a hamlet of temporary dwellings tied to seasonal farm work, placed near the cultivated plots[12](https://www.destinationluberon.com/decouvrir/les-incontournables/village-des-bories).
**Dry-stone construction.** The bories are built by corbelling, which requires neither mortar nor centering: flat stones of [Burdigalian](https://www.edgepedia.org/burdigalian) limestone, rough or cut, are stacked so that each course, with stones 10 to 15 cm thick, steps slightly inward from the one below, finishing in a vaulted ceiling[11](https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/monuments/bories-village/). Entrances are generally low and narrow, overhung by a slab lintel or formed as a vaulted arch of rubble stone[11](https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/monuments/bories-village/). The huts served as barns, stables, and seasonal houses for farmers whose plots lay too far from the main farm[11](https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/monuments/bories-village/).
The site contains about thirty huts organized in seven groups, each building with a precise function: housing the farmer, sheltering herds, storing grain, and keeping tools[11](https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/monuments/bories-village/). It holds 17 "Gordoise naves", freestanding buildings of four opposing corbels on a rectangular or right-trapezoid plan, shaped like an inverted ship's hull; the greatest concentration of these multi-purpose buildings is found here[11](https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/monuments/bories-village/). On the Savournins plateau, Mediterranean polyculture, sheep farming, beekeeping, silkworm breeding, and leather working were practiced[11](https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/monuments/bories-village/). Ceramic remains date the occupation of the huts to the 18th and 19th centuries, though the finds have not sufficed to date their construction[11](https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/monuments/bories-village/).
**Restoration and protection.** Pierre Viala bought the overgrown site and, between 1969 and 1976, restored it as an open-air museum of rural habitat; at the start of the work the bories and walls lay hidden under invading ground cover[11](https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/monuments/bories-village/) • [8](https://en.levillagedesbories.com/restoration.php). The restoration was crowned by the French Academy of Architecture, and the site was classified as a Historical Monument in 1977[8](https://en.levillagedesbories.com/restoration.php). In 1984 the municipality of Gordes became owner and manager under Mayor Maurice Chabert, and the village is today one of the most visited sites in Vaucluse[8](https://en.levillagedesbories.com/restoration.php). The museum displays traditional objects and tools along with documentation on the history of Gordes and on dry-stone architecture in France and worldwide[12](https://www.destinationluberon.com/decouvrir/les-incontournables/village-des-bories).
## The 20th century and tourism today
During World War II, Gordes played a major role in the Resistance; the village was bombed, required major reconstruction, and was awarded the [Croix de Guerre](https://www.edgepedia.org/croix-de-guerre) with a silver star[2](https://www.marseilletourisme.fr/en/places-see/heritage-culture/towns-villages/gordes/). Its dry-stone setting attracted artists and celebrities including [Marc Chagall](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-chagall) and Pol Mara[2](https://www.marseilletourisme.fr/en/places-see/heritage-culture/towns-villages/gordes/).
**Overtourism management.** The commune's 1,966 dwellings include a larger share of second homes, 49.5%, than principal residences, 40.8%[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=COM-84050). Mayor Richard Kitaeff has introduced measures to limit the consequences of mass tourism on the village and its residents, including parking tariffs and municipal police staffing[13](https://www.europe1.fr/societe/tarif-des-parkings-nombre-de-policiers-municipaux-comment-la-commune-de-gordes-regule-t-elle-le-surtourisme-4194363). The village operates three paid car parks, one of which, the Charles De Gaulle lot, holds 270 light vehicles[14](https://www.gordes-village.com/en/daily-life%2Cparking%2C166.html). In 2023 the commune counted 853 jobs at the workplace and a median living standard of 28,610 euros[6](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=COM-84050).
## References
1. [History of Gordes, Ville de Gordes](https://www.gordes-village.com/discover%2Chistory%2C151%2C55.html)
2. [Gordes: small picturesque Provençal village, Marseille Tourisme](https://www.marseilletourisme.fr/en/places-see/heritage-culture/towns-villages/gordes/)
3. [Histoire de l'Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque](https://www.senanque.fr/histoire-de-labbaye-notre-dame-de-senanque/)
4. [Commune de Gordes, Insee](https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/commune/84050-gordes)
5. [Le territoire communal de Gordes, Ville de Gordes](https://www.gordes-village.com/admin-upload/files/Dossier%20complet.pdf)
6. [Comparateur de territoires, Commune de Gordes (84050), Insee](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=COM-84050)
7. [The Castle, Ville de Gordes](https://www.gordes-village.com/en/patrimoine%2Cmusee%2Cthe-castle%2C157.html)
8. [Understanding the restoration of the Village des Bories](https://en.levillagedesbories.com/restoration.php)
9. [Histoire, Ville de Gordes](https://www.gordes-village.com/decouvrir%2Chistoire-%2C95.html)
10. [Abbaye de Sénanque (ancienne), notice Mérimée PA00082041, Ministère de la Culture](https://pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/merimee/PA00082041)
11. [Bories village in Gordes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Tourism](https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/culture-and-heritage/monuments/bories-village/)
12. [Village des Bories à Gordes, Destination Luberon](https://www.destinationluberon.com/decouvrir/les-incontournables/village-des-bories)
13. [Comment la commune de Gordes régule-t-elle le surtourisme ?, Europe 1](https://www.europe1.fr/societe/tarif-des-parkings-nombre-de-policiers-municipaux-comment-la-commune-de-gordes-regule-t-elle-le-surtourisme-4194363)
14. [Parking, Ville de Gordes](https://www.gordes-village.com/en/daily-life%2Cparking%2C166.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Settlements and neighborhoods › Villages, hamlets, and rural localities › Villages and rural localities of Europe › Villages of Western, Northern, and Southern Europe › Villages and hamlets of France*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license