The Château of Sade - Saumane-de-Vaucluse

Classified as a Historic Monument and fief of the Sade family, the Château of Saumane-de-Vaucluse is worth visiting both for its architecture and for its unusual exhibitions.

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The Château of Saumane is one of the Sade family's oldest fiefs: Pope Nicholas V gave it to his equerry, Baudet II of Sade, in 1451.

In the 18th century, when the Marquis of Sade's father abandoned Saumane, his brother, Abbot Jacques de Sade moved in. An enlightened, learned and libertine man, the Abbot arranged for typical 18th-century remodelling to be done.

Entrusted to his uncle's care, the young Marquis of Sade spent part of his childhood at Saumane. If the marquis is to be believed, the Abbot of Sade appeared to live a very free life: 'He may be a priest but he always has a couple of harlots at his home; excuse me, if I use the same term as you; is his château a harem? No, it's better than that; it's a brothel'. (Letter to Madame de Villeneuve-Martignan, a nun in Cavaillon, 1765).

Perched on its rocky peak, the Château of Saumane-de-Vaucluse protected the village alongside its walls. And when danger threatened, it also served as a refuge for the inhabitants of 'Vallis Clausa' (Fontaine-de-Vaucluse).

During the Roman occupation, a castrum was built here, surrounded by thick walls, and then a fortified castle that was turned into a stronghold in the 15th century.

Remodelled and restored on numerous occasions, this building features a Renaissance façade on the south side and a medieval fortress on the north side.

It was protected by two-metre-thick perimeter walls, a drawbridge and a portcullis.