Site archéologique Petra Castellana

Several gates in the surrounding walls of Petra Castellana led into the city. A record from the 18th century mentions three gates : to the south, the east and the west. Only the west gate partially remains, which you probably walked through to enter the siteIt was stabilised in 2004. Thanks to studies and archaeological surveys, we know that it was a double gate and that there were a bar to close it. In addition, there may have been a portcullis. The path you are on is the ‘Tour du Roc’ hiking trail. It most likely follows the main artery of Petra Castellana, the medieval city. In 2019, consolidation work reinforced the dry-stone walls, steps were dug out to make walking up and down the terraces easier and the path leading to the rampart was cleared.

The St André church was built at the end of the 12th or the beginning of the 13th century. It was the parish church of Petra Castellana until 1260.At that time, there were already more people in the village bellow than in Petra Castellana and the inhabitants asked for the parish to be transferred to the St Victor church (located in the ancient centre). The St André church was then gradually abandoned. The St André church had a single nave and a semi-circular apse. On the south wall in front of you, you can still see the two entrances, a large one and a smaller one, and three windows enclosed by a round arch. These features are similar to those on the front of the St Victor church. On the west wall, there still is an oculus. When the church was built, a particular attention was given to the use of stones of different colours (limestone and sandstone). No part of the roof remains and the church is very damaged. In 2019, consolidation work on the St André church stabilised the exterior of the building. The arch of the door is now supported by a fitted metal structure. The remains of the south and west walls have been deeply reinforced inside the walls, on their surface and at their top. The inside of the church is very dangerous and it is strictly forbidden to enter it.

Many catapult boulders can be found in Petra Castellana. During the excavations, archaeologists found several dozens of them.Every boulder is made of grey limestone, a local stone. They are quite round but they can be barrel-shaped and they often have a flat side so they could be easily stacked and stocked. On average, a boulder weighs 40 kg (88 lbs). The boulders were used against the city of Petra Castellana, therefore they were not a stock of ammunitions intended to be used against Petra’s ennemies. They were launched from outside the ramparts, probably from an overlooking ledge located to the north of the city, about 70 m from the fortifications. Of all the ballistic devices used during the Middle Ages, the bricole seems to be the most suited to the location. It is indeed light, fast and accurate. According to the archives, we know that Petra Castellana was besieged twice, maybe thrice : in 1189 and in 1262, maybe also in 1368. After the last siege, the city was abandoned for good and the inhabitants - who had already begun to leave - settled in the village bellow once and for all, where Castellane now stands. Many boulders were later used as stones to build walls on the site and along the paths. Try to spot some of them!

Xavier Boutin, an architect, drew this interpretative cavalier projection thanks to the field observations and exchanges with Vincent Buccio, head of the Service départemental d'Archéologie.

Xavier Boutin, an architect, drew this interpretative cavalier projection thanks to the field observations and exchanges with Vincent Buccio, head of the Service départemental d'Archéologie.

We can still observe the fortifications of Petra Castellana, in particular on the north side, in front of you. We think that the wall used to surround the whole site but there are no obvious remains on the south sideThe archaeologists were able to locate a 245 m long part of this surrounding wall. There were seven half-moon shaped towers linked together by a continuous wall called a curtain wall. The rampart was carbon dated to the end of the 12th - the beginning of the 13th century. The towers were massive and solid, there were no rooms inside. They were built with stones and mortar, then covered in terracotta tiles. We can still see that the rampart was open in several places but we don’t know if there were any crenellations. There may have been a chemin de ronde inside the fortification, at the top of the rampart.

From the 13th century, the city of Petra Castellana was gradually deserted following an attack by the Count of Provence in 1262, but also because people would rather live in the village bellow which was more convenientHowever the whole site was then used for agriculture until the middle of the 20th century. As the city had been built on a system of terraces, it was facing south and there were lots of available stones, it proved easy to turn the site into farming lands. If you look at the landscape, you can see these terraces. They are a series of successively receding flat surfaces that we call ‘restanques’ in Provence. They were supported by dry-stone terrace walls (no mortar) and they were evenly organised. There were facilities such as access ramps. We can still see the remains of several cabins down below, as well as many ‘clapiers’*. Each year, stones were removed and gathered to make ploughing and farming easier. Grapes were probably grown, as well as fruit trees and maybe pulses (lentils, chickpeas…). Sheep and goats also grazed on these lands. * A ‘clapas’ (or ‘clapier’ in Provence) is a long pile made of stones that were removed from a piece of land about to be turned into a farming land.

How were the houses in Petra Castellana built ? From 2016 to 2019, several archaeological soundings were conducted near the rampart. One took place in front of youThey helped archaeologists understand the organisation of the site and they were all buried again after the surveys to preserve the remains. We know that the buildings often stood and leaned against the rampart. Windows were built in the rampart. We reckon that the buildings were about 15 m² of floor surface but some could be larger. They had one or two upper floors : livestock could stay on the ground floor or it could be used as a workshop or a cellar and people lived on the the 1st and 2nd floors. The masonry was of local limestone and lime mortar and the rooves were covered in tiles. During the excavations, few potsherds were found. Grains could be stored in dug silos, the archaeologists discovered some of them.

At the crossroads of the Alps and the Mediterranean, Castellane lies at the gateway to the Grand Canyon du Verdon. Criss-crossed by the Route Napoléon and classified as a Cité de Caractère, the lakeside village boasts an exceptionally rich natural and cultural heritage.Dominated by its "Roc", a gigantic 184-meter limestone cliff, the town spreads out around the Place Marcel Sauvaire. With its painted facades and picturesque fountains, the old town center is pedestrian-only. A 30-minute walk takes you to the Notre Dame du Roc chapel, whose terrace overlooks a magnificent Pentagonal Tower, the town and its ramparts, the Pont Napoléon and the entrance to the Gorges du Verdon. Halfway between the Alps and the Mediterranean, Castellane lives its life with dynamism, skilfully blending the riches of its past, its tourist vocation and its many activities. Castellane is located in the Parc Naturel Régional du Verdon and in the heart of the Réserve Naturelle Géologique de Haute-Provence.