Le Tholonet
Le Tholonet | |
|---|---|
 Château du Tholonet | |
 Coat of arms | |
show Location of Le Tholonet | |
  Le Tholonet | |
| Coordinates: 43°31′22″N 5°30′42″E / 43.5228°N 5.5117°ECoordinates: 43°31′22″N 5°30′42″E / 43.5228°N 5.5117°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Bouches-du-Rhône |
| Arrondissement | Aix-en-Provence |
| Canton | Trets |
| Intercommunality | Aix-Marseille-Provence |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Vincent Languille |
| Area 1 | 10.82 km2 (4.18 sq mi) |
| Population (Jan. 2018)[1] | 2,267 |
| • Density | 210/km2 (540/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 13109 /13100 |
| Elevation | 150–350 m (490–1,150 ft) (avg. 193 m or 633 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Le Tholonet (French pronunciation: [lə tɔlɔnɛ]; Lou Toulounet and Lo Tolonet in Provençal) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Tholonétiens.
Geography[]
The commune is near Aix-en-Provence, and at the foot of the montagne Sainte-Victoire. The river Arc goes through the commune.
The hamlet of , which gives its name to the Palette AOC appellation, is located on the commune's territory.[2]
History[]
The earliest signs of human presence can be dated back to the Iron Age, and are located in the Infernet and Espinades ranges.[3]
In the nineteenth century, a small oppidum named "Ragabom camp" or "Ratabom camp" was discovered at the Infernet site.[3] The camp consists of fortifications build with large stone blocks. The ruins are barely discernible today. Archeological surveys done from 1979-1980 helped discover furnishings dated from the Iron Ages up to the 2nd century BC, a time when the site was highly populated.[3]
Population[]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1793 | 470 | — |
| 1800 | 350 | −25.5% |
| 1806 | 489 | +39.7% |
| 1821 | 465 | −4.9% |
| 1831 | 501 | +7.7% |
| 1836 | 514 | +2.6% |
| 1841 | 540 | +5.1% |
| 1846 | 504 | −6.7% |
| 1851 | 602 | +19.4% |
| 1856 | 546 | −9.3% |
| 1861 | 540 | −1.1% |
| 1866 | 508 | −5.9% |
| 1872 | 501 | −1.4% |
| 1876 | 510 | +1.8% |
| 1881 | 506 | −0.8% |
| 1886 | 497 | −1.8% |
| 1891 | 505 | +1.6% |
| 1896 | 513 | +1.6% |
| 1901 | 466 | −9.2% |
| 1906 | 429 | −7.9% |
| 1911 | 383 | −10.7% |
| 1921 | 400 | +4.4% |
| 1926 | 402 | +0.5% |
| 1931 | 415 | +3.2% |
| 1936 | 421 | +1.4% |
| 1946 | 484 | +15.0% |
| 1954 | 592 | +22.3% |
| 1962 | 720 | +21.6% |
| 1968 | 953 | +32.4% |
| 1975 | 1,137 | +19.3% |
| 1982 | 1,186 | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 2,004 | +69.0% |
| 1999 | 2,259 | +12.7% |
| 2008 | 2,227 | −1.4% |
Sights[]
- The Château du Tholonet (in its current form) was built by in the 1640s. Galliffet had bought the plot from the Jarente family, and was president of the Aix-en-Provence parliament. His grandson Louis-François added a theater for his mistress , wife of the famous orator Mirabeau. A marble cutting mill was used for Tholonet marble, known under the name Brêche d'Alep. Currently, the domain is owned by the Société du Canal de Provence (SCP).
- , an old windmill that has been restored. Currently it is used to host painting and sculpture exhibitions.
- Ruins of the Roman aqueduct that brought water from Saint-Antonin to Aix-en-Provence. This fifteen-kilometre aqueduct bridge, located in the Cause ravine, had a rate of nearly 80 liters per second and was one of four aqueducts that supplied Aquae Sextiae, Aix-en-Provence during the Roman period. The Aix painter Jean-Antoine Constantin drew sketches of it, which are now in the Aix-en-Provence Méjanes libraries.[3]
- The Zola Dam in the valley of the Cause river.
Media[]
- Paul Cézanne, who painted Sainte-Victoire and the black castle at Tholonet, would often eat at the Berne restaurant, today named Relais Cézanne.
- Jacqueline de Romilly, member of the Académie française, wrote the book Sur les chemins de Sainte-Victoire, published by Fallois (2001).
- In 2006, Michel Bernascolle's book Les Rapegons de Sainte-Victoire was published by .
Personalities[]
- Georges Duby, a medieval historian and former member of the Académie française, is buried in Tholonet's small cemetery.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.
- ^ Palette A.O.C., vinsvignesvignerons.com
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Carte archéologique de la Gaule : Aix-en-Provence, pays d'Aix, val de Durance", 13/4, Fl. Mocci, N. Nin (dir.), Paris, 2006, Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, ministère de l'Éducation nationale, ministère de la Recherche, ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, maison des Sciences de l'homme, centre Camille-Jullian, ville d'Aix-en-Provence, communauté du pays d'Aix, p. 684-90.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Le Tholonet. |
- Communes of Bouches-du-Rhône