History of the cellars

« Fortress villages » such as Gordes are a real challenge to nature. Because of the lack of ground, it was indeed necessary to have houses built in tight against the base of the cliffs and welded to the rock and this has led to an underground life.
Living on the surface, men used to develop industry and arts and crafts underground by digging in the rock under the foundations of the houses. There is in Gordes a huge underground network that is far more impressive than the houses and palaces that are above it.
At the present time, it is impossible to see « the other side of the coin » buried under the foundation. And still...
After 40 years of clearing works, tourists may now discover part of this underground world.
Under the foundations of Palais St Firmin, a masterwork of the Renaissance in Gordes, and at the heart of a network of scattered cellars on 7 levels and a difference of 18 meters in height, it is now possible to visit the most characteristic part of this intensive underground activity.
This network of « blood mill » and underground cisterns listed as a Historic Monument, gives us the opportunity of being immersed in the troglodytic life of Gordes