The castle

Oppède Castle was built between the 11th and 13^th centuries. It was progressively enlarged between the 14^th and 16th centuries, first by the popes and then by the Barons of Oppède. One of the latter was Baron Jean Maynier, the first president of the Aix Parliament, who was responsible for the 1545 massacre of the Waldensians of Luberon. In 1731, an earthquake seriously damaged the building, which gradually began to be used as a source of stone. The Oppède Castle site is closed to visitors. Restoration work is currently being carried out by the ‘Association de sauvegarde de la forteresse du Vieil-Oppède’, which is working to save the site.