Stroll of the Petit Calan

The cicada is a brown insect measuring 5 to 9 cm in length. It has a rigid proboscis called rostrum, which it plants in roots and plants to feed themselves. It has four long transparent wings. As soon as the temperature is sufficiently high (about 25°C), the male cymbalise (" sings") to attract the females of the same species. While the larvae can live for several years underground, the adult lives only 2 months in the summer to reproduce.

An old quarry became discharge, it is in 2009 that this one was rehabilitated to revalue this remarkable site in the middle of Alpilles. This project of revaluation goes through the creation of an arboretum, a space of Mediterranean flora adapted to the climate. From 2010, the first trees are planted by the students of the vocational agricultural school of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. About sixty trees and many shrubs represent the floristic diversity of the scrubland.

The Alpilles massif has constantly evolved over 135 million years, to become what it is today. These limestone crests, bordered by the GR®6, date from the Cretaceous and appeared about 70 million years before J.-C. They dominate the Petite Crau. The Montagnette massif, is observed to the north-east, as well as further, Mont Ventoux, which rises to 1912 m of altitude. To the south, there is a wide view of the Alpilles massif.

The village of Eygalières as well as the ruins of the castle at its summit, are the last vestiges of the castrum of Aigueria, of which the first writings date back to the 13th century. The village was originally built on a small rocky ridge, allowing its inhabitants to protect themselves against possible attacks, before expanding on the surroundings. The name of Eygalières is closely linked to water, as indicates its Latin name "Aquilaria" or in Provencal "Eigaliero".

The Petit Calan, like the Gros Calan, finds its origin from the Barremian. Its rocks formed with the deposition and compression of the remains of organisms living in a shallow sea about 160 million years ago. They gained altitude by constituting a rock ensemble, undergoing fractures and foldings of lesser amplitude. This elevation of the Alpilles chain is directly related to the rapprochement between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates.

A calan is a hard limestone cliffs that formed between 160 and 90 million years BC. These cliffs are the vestiges of an oceanic presence. Indeed, the Thétys Ocean was here during the Jurassic period, the same period that saw the water level decrease. It was then that massifs, like the crests of the Alpilles, or like the calans, were formed. The most famous are the Calan de Rousset, the Petit Calan and the Gros Calan.

Built in 1672 with stones from the castle, the Clock Tower is the symbol of the independence of Eygalières. In 1660, the villagers paid the ransom of their lord, the Duke of Guise, taken hostage by the Spaniards. As a reward, they won the seigniorial rights of their village. Next to the 13th century dungeon, there remains only the vaulted ground floor. The Virgin statue was placed on the roof in 1893 to commemorate a miracle, and always seems to watch over the village.

La Tour de l’Horloge est un véritable symbole pour les habitants d’Eygalières. Jadis, le Duc de Guise, propriétaire des terres d’Eygalières, fut emprisonné par les Espagnols à Ségovie en 1653. Il fit appel à ses sujets pour lui fournir la somme nécessaire à sa libération. La somme de 10 000 livres fut payée, mais le Duc ne put ou ne voulut la rembourser : il préféra céder les terres d’Eygalières aux paysans de la région. La Tour de l’Horloge fut érigée en commémoration de cette indépendance en 1976.