Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

French commune
nomcommune=Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
Fontaine de Vaucluse: Source of the Sorgue, period of low water
région=Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
département=Vaucluse
arrondissement=Avignon
canton=Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
insee=84139
cp=84800
maire= Christian Tallieux
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Communauté de communes du Pays des Sorgues et des Monts de Vaucluse
longitude=5.127
latitude=43.92305
alt moy=80 m
alt mini=68 m
alt maxi=652 m
hectares=714
km²=7.14
sans=610
date-sans=1999
dens=85
date-dens=1999

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is a commune of the Vaucluse "département" in southern France.

Heraldry

The coat of arms of the village of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is:

"Blue, with a Trout and a silver shadow, poised horizontally." (Malte-Brun, in "France Illustrated", book V, 1884)

Geography

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse ("spring of Vaucluse") is built around a spring, in a valley at the foot of the Vaucluse Mountains, between Saumane and Lagnes, not far from L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.

Hydrography

The fountain, or spring, of Vaucluse, situated at the feet of a steep cliff 230 metres high, is the biggest spring in France. It is also the fifth largest in the world with an annual flow of 630 million cubic metres.

History

This village of 600 inhabitants was once called "Vaucluse" or "the closed valley" ("Vallis Clausa" in Latin) and it gave its name to the French department of "Vaucluse". Several trails indicate human occupation in the area since the neolithic era. Its spring has been the object of a major cult since Antiquity. Following some major discoveries from two cave dives by the SSFV, two archaeological sites under the protection of the SRA PACA has allowed more than 1600 antique coins from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD to be brought back up to the surface.

Demographics

Historical population::1962 : 615:1968 : 698:1975 : 532:1982 : 604:1990 : 580:1999 : 610

Places and monuments

* The principal point of interest is the source of the Sorgue to the foot of a cliff 240 metres high: Its average flow is 22 m³ / second, the highest in France, and can attain 110 m³ after the snow melts. It wasn't until 1985 that the mystery of its origin was partially revealed: in effect, the lowest point is at -308m depth attained by a robot belonging to the Spelunking Society of Fontaine de Vaucluse. The spring is the only exit point of a subterranean basin of 1200km² that collects the water from Mount Ventoux, the Vaucluse mountains and from the Lure mountain.

* Ruins of the castle of the Bishop of Cavaillon
* Ancient paper mill
* Museum of the resistance
* Torture museum
* Petrarch museum (on the site of his former house)

Personages associated with the town

* Petrarch

External links

* [http://www.images-provence-gratuites.com/photos-fontaine-de-vaucluse-gratuites.htm Photos de Fontaine de Vaucluse Gratuites]
* [http://www.horizon-provence.com/fontaine-de-vaucluse/index_english.htm tourism : visit of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse]
* [http://www.la-sorgue.com www.laSorgue.com]
* [http://www.ign.fr/affiche_rubrique.asp?rbr_id=1087&CommuneId=77124 Fontaine-de-Vaucluse sur le site de l'Institut Géographique National]
* [http://www.recensement.insee.fr/RP99/rp99/co_navigation.co_page?nivgeo=C&codgeo=84139&theme=ALL&typeprod=ALL&lang=FR&quelcas=LISTE Fontaine-de-Vaucluse on the INSEE website]
* [http://www.quid.fr/communes.html?mode=query&req=Fontaine-de-Vaucluse Fontaine-de-Vaucluse on the Quid website]
* [http://www.lion1906.com/Pages/ResultatLocalisation.php?InseeVille=840139 Localisation of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse on a map of France and other bordering communes]
* [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=43.9230555555556&longitude=5.12777777777778&zoom=8 Plan of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse on Mapquest]
* [http://www.ssfv.org Spelunking society of Fontaine de Vaucluse]
* [http://www.oti-delasorgue.fr/fontaine-de-vaucluse.php Office of Tourism]