Monteux Coun Try: France
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Si te: Monteux Coun try: France C ON TE N TS OF TH E F I L E Synthesis Architectural typologies present Country’s accepted significant sites History and general information Current state of vitality and preservation Transformation process Interventions and rehabilitation programmes Bibliography Lexicon SYNTHESIS Monteux is a market town with 9,564 inhabitants in the département of Vaucluse in the Comtat plain, 18 km from Avignon and 5 km from the small town of Carpentras. From 1342 to 1791, Monteux was subject to pontifical power, like the Comtat Venaissin as a whole. As of the mid-19th century, when the Comtat plain was irrigated by the Carpentras canal and with the arrival of the railroads, Monteux turned to market gardening and arboriculture. Today, Monteux has a variety of activities, mainly in the sectors of fireworks with the firm Ruggieri, f ood seasonings with Ducros-Vahiné and logistics (road transport). Individual dwellings have Countr map y increased considerably in the second half of the 20th century, with both the construction of detached housing and the conversion of old farmhouses, Monteux being situated in the urban radius of Avignon, with almost 400,000 inhabitants. The importance and the quality of its rural constructions, many of which have been rehabilitated, make Monteux a significant site. Regional scale Local sc ale ARCHITEC TURAL TYPOLOGIES PRESENT Popular house Bourgeois apartment building Popular apartment building Aristocratic hôtel or bourgeois residence Farm or mas in the plain COUNTRY’S ACCEPTED SIGNIFICANT SITES Detail of the urban fabric Avignon Piedicroce Béziers Gordes Marseilles Monteux This project is financed by the MEDA programme of the European Union. The opinions expressed in the present document do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or of its member States. 1/3 Monteux HISTORY AND GENERAL INFOR MATION The original town was grouped around a strong castle built in the 11th century; the keep, known as the Tour Clémentine, still exists. Acquired in 1312 by Bertrand de Goth, nephew of Pope Clement V, this castle was the favourite residence of the Supreme Pontiff. The domain of Monteux was acquired in 1342 by the Holy See which, when the popes returned to Rome, entrusted the running of the Comtat Venaissin to the Vice-Legates until the territory was united to France, in 1791. After 1763, Monteux became f amous for the cultivation of madder, the roots of which produce a red colorant, until the discovery of sy nthetic alizarin. The disease affecting silkworms and the ravages of vines due to phylloxera in 1868 accelerated the change in agriculture in the Comtat to market gardening and arboriculture. These new activities were f acilitated by the starting up of the Carpentras canal in 1857, for irrigation, and by the arrival of the railroad in 1862, allowing the rapid transportation of early produce to the north of France. This intensification of farming was accompanied by the construction of ma s or farmhouses on the many small farms which were set up. Monteux has undergone major economic and demographic growth. Three areas of activity (Beauchamp, Les Escampades and La Tapy) accommodate companies of all sizes. The town’s population has grown from 6,471 inhabitants in 1975 to 9,564 in 1999, a rise of 47.8%, compared with 28.0% in the Vaucluse and 11.3% in France for the same period. 2 Surface ar ea of the site 39 km Geographical co-ordinates Lat.: 44°00’ north – Long.: 5°00’ east Height above sea l evel 43 m Lithology Limestone from the hills of the Vaucluse, dressed for the construction of walls. Soft limestone with a fine whitish grain, quarried in Saint-Gens (15 km east), dressed for doorway s and window openings and to clad facades. Population 9,564 inhabitants Population densit y 2.5 inhabitants Average annual maximum temperatures 17.7°C (Montélimar) Avignon Door Average annual minimum temperatures 8.2°C (Montélimar) Averag e of maximum temp eratures July: 28.9°C (Montélimar) during the hottest month for 10 year s Averag e of minimum temperatur es during January: 1.2°C (Montélimar) the coldest month for 10 years Averag e rainfall 700 mm Averag e number of days of rain p er year 58 (rain > 2.5 mm at Montélimar) Specifi c ch aracteri stics Monteux has two vestiges of its medieval ramparts: the Porte Neuve, reinf orced in the 17th century, which used to be the meeting place of the town’s Council, is a listed Historic Monument; the Porte d’Avignon was rebuilt in the early 18th century. The church of Notre Dame de Nazareth, in 14th century Gothic style, is a Historic Monument. Traditional economic activities Market gardening (asparagus, strawberries, melons, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.), arboriculture (cherry and apple trees), nurseries and plants, early produce market, fireworks. New economic activities Logistics (road transport), flavourings for the foodstuffs industry. Site’s communications with its terr itor y Monteux is linked to northern Europe and the Mediterranean by the A7 (E714) motorway, 11 km away. The D942 expressway between Avignon and Carpentras serves Monteux. A dense road network links Monteux to neighbouring v illages. This project is financed by the MEDA programme of the European Union. The opinions expressed in the present document do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or of its member States. 2/3 Monteux CURRENT STATE OF VI TALI TY AND PRESERVATION The centre of Monteux, including the town inside the walls and extensions along its roads, made up for the most part of old constructions, is in a similar situation to most of the villages and small towns in the French Mediterranean hinterland: run- down housing with insufficient comfort levels, despite the numerous rehabilitation operations carried out in recent decades. Around the town, most elderly people are still employed in farming, as agriculture is still very dynamic. The population of Old far m arranged in residence Monteux is a young one: 55.1% were under the age of 40 in 1999, as opposed to 51.4% in Vaucluse and 52.7% in France. The average size of households in Monteux was 2.6 persons in 1999, as opposed to 2.4 in Vaucluse and France as a whole, which is proof of the importance of the rural or peri-urban family dwelling. Monteux is very attractive as a place of first residence: second homes only represented 1.6% in 1999, as opposed to 7.0% in Vaucluse and 10.1% in France, and vacant homes only numbered 5.8% in 1999, as opposed to 7.7% in Vaucluse and 6.9% in France. Individual housing, in the form of recently built detached homes or old ma s or farmhouses, represented 77.3% of Monteux dwellings in 1999, whereas the national average was 55.9%. The houses of Monteux are large: in 1999, 72.0% had four or more rooms, as opposed to the national average of 58.7%. On the left, arrangement of 2 little dwellings on rent (independent entrances); on the right, TRANSFOR MATION PR OCESS transformation of a dwelling in an office Rehabilitation in the town does not always respect the architectural nature of the constructions, due to a lack of know-how on the part of companies, and sometimes to a lack of financial means on the part of the owners. The reorganisation of f arms sometimes leads to the detachment of farms and their surroundings, which are then purchased by people working in the area who wish to go back to nature. As new generations of farmers emerge and farms are purchased by new owners, rehabilitation work on rural constructions is undertaken, with varying degrees of success, sometimes altering the original character: the removal of renderings to leav e facades of bare stone corresponds to a false but widespread idea of authentic rural architecture. Disorganization of the village center after its demolition INTERVEN TIONS AND REHABILI TATION PROGRAMMES A Housing improvement scheme (OPAH) was implemented in the late 1990s in the old centre, alongside a subsidised campaign to clean facades. After the rerouting of traff ic to the main road, the urban space is to be reclassified, particularly around the Hôtel de Ville (town hall) and the Porte Neuve. Contacts Exc essi ve moderniz ation of three buildings BIBLIOGRAPHY • Benoît, Fernand: La Provence et le Comtat Venaissin, Arts et traditions populaires. Aubanel, 1975. • Grossand, Claude – Grosso, René: Le Vaucluse autrefois. Horvath, 1994. • Liv et, Roger: Habitat rural et structures agraires en basse Provence. 1962. File created: 23/02/01 File last modified 03/05/01 This project is financed by the MEDA programme of the European Union. The opinions expressed in the present document do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or of its member States. 3/3.