Heritage trail

Saint-Julien du Verdon, a 1,500-year-old village ...
Notre-Dame Chapel
As early as the 5th century, monks from the Abbey of Lérins (off the coast of Cannes) built a small priory at the top of today's village. Their mission: to Christianize the region.

They made contact with the Vergunni tribe occupying the site on the banks of the Verdon. This led to the creation of a village named after Saint-Julien, the martyred saint venerated by these abbots.

A church was later built on this site. It was enlarged in the early 18th century and later named Notre-Dame de l'Assomption.

The plum dryer and "pardigones"

Below the chapel stands the plum dryer, recently restored according to tradition, with a plaster covering that once came from the gypsum quarries, now partially submerged. It dates back to the 2nd half of the 19th century. At that time, on the banks of the Verdon, there were fields of cereals and orchards, notably of plum trees. After the harvest, farmers dried these "pardigones" plums in individual granaries or drying sheds, before marketing them: this one is the last witness to the importance of this production.

Saint-Roch Church

At the end of the 19th century, as the population grew, Saint-Julien acquired a 2nd church, built on the site of a shrine to Saint Roch and dedicated to this saint, who had become the village's patron saint. This is the current parish church.

The communal oven

The current communal oven, a few meters below the square, dates back to 1905, but must have existed long before that. Families took turns baking bread here. Like the two wash-houses, it was a place for community life. Nowadays, it is revived every year for Whitsuntide, the patron saint's day and other festivities.

The lake

Named after Castillon, this submerged village lies 90 m below sea level, upstream from the dam.
It was first impounded in 1948. The lake has transformed Saint-Julien's economy. Agriculture has been reduced in favor of tourism.