Cairanne
Encyclopedia
Cairanne is a commune
in the Vaucluse
department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
region
in southeastern France
whose inhabitants were locally nicknamed leis afrontaires de Cairana, the cheeky ones from Cairanne.
It dates from the mid-8th century and is located midway between Orange
and Vaison-la-Romaine
. The village economy depends largely on its production of wine that falls into the various categories of wines from the Rhône valley.
arrived in Provence
very early and the region was already extensively Christianized by the third century CE with numerous monasteries and churches being constructed. The small fortified settlement of Cairanne became first a fortified village of the Templars
, who in 1123 began with the construction of the ramparts. As was usual during these times the ramparts served both as a fortified wall and as housing for the local population.
In 1312, the order was officially disbanded by Pope Clement V
, and some of its properties were assigned to the Knights Hospitallers, with much of it remaining in the hands of King Philip the Fair
of France and King Edward II of England
. Cairanne was henceforth ruled by the Knights Hospitallers, who later became known as the Knights of Malta.
There were many years of war, marauding bands and diseases, including as the Black Death
in 1348. Economic conditions for the common people were difficult and slow and a steady decline set in. Cairanne was added to the papal
territory in 1317 under the reign of Pope John XXII
. It was ruled by a succession of noble families, the last one being Jean-Jacques Vidaud, who was guillotine
d in 25 June 1794 during the French revolution
.
From the nineteenth century, wine growers started to move closer to the vineyards which multiplied in the hills and plains around Cairanne. The lower village of Cairanne gradually became the focal point of commerce, education and local government and the old village partly fell into disrepair. In the 1960s, as with many other fortified villages in Provence, the French government began an effort to preserve and renovated these historic places. In 1960 the old Saint Martin church, which was totally in ruins, was rebuilt and dedicated as Notre Dame de la Vigne et du Rosaire (Our Lady of the Vine and the Rosary). Many of the stones of Saint Martin had been pillaged during the previous centuries and were used to construct houses in the area. At the same time the village and the apartments and houses which had been built into the fortified walls constructed by the Knights Templars were sold to private owners, mostly from the region. The revival of the old village had begun and by 1980 most of the work had been finished.
In 1863 phylloxera
first appeared and progressively destroyed the majority of French vineyards except for some in sandy terrain. At the beginning of the twentieth century the winegrowers struggled to revive the ravaged vineyards and enhance the quality of their wine. The main remedy was the use of resistant rootstock from the Five Finger Lake region in upstate New York to guard against phylloxera as well as to focus on quality rather than quantity. Finally Baron Pierre Le Roy Boiseaumarié, a trained lawyer and winegrower at heart, successfully obtained legal recognition of the "Côtes du Rhône" appellation of origin in 1937.
The village of Cairanne is on the southern Côtes du Rhône wine route and its quality wines are designated Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC
. Other notable wine villages nearby are Gigondas
, Rasteau
, Seguret
, Sablet
, Beaumes de Venise, Vacqueyras
. Wines labeled Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC are the next step up from step in quality up from Côtes du Rhône AOC
, while those in the next highest category add the name of the village to the label. The Cairanne red wines are full-bodied, fruity and spicy (black pepper), with a smooth finish.
and then the Knights Hospitaller
lived in the village. A steep stairway leads up to the keep and then on to the St Roch chapel (1726) located next to the Autanne Gate. A pathway along the ramparts (1123), which surrounds the old village affords panoramic views of Mont Ventoux
and Mont Saint-Andéol. On the path round the battlements are two round towers and a square one called the "Templars' Tower".
Visible historical remains that can be seen include the old village, the keep, the Chapel of St Roch (1726), the ramparts (1123), the 18th century Autanne Gate, the Chemin de Ronde de St Roch (a path round the battlements), the Templars' Tower, and the Chapel of Notre Dame des Exés (1631).
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in southeastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
whose inhabitants were locally nicknamed leis afrontaires de Cairana, the cheeky ones from Cairanne.
It dates from the mid-8th century and is located midway between Orange
Orange, Vaucluse
Orange is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It has a primarily agricultural economy...
and Vaison-la-Romaine
Vaison-la-Romaine
Vaison-la-Romaine is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France....
. The village economy depends largely on its production of wine that falls into the various categories of wines from the Rhône valley.
History
The settlement was first mentioned in 739 CE as Queroana and later became known as Cayrane and then Cairanne. Early on the Church played a pivotal role in the political and cultural formation of the region. ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
arrived in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
very early and the region was already extensively Christianized by the third century CE with numerous monasteries and churches being constructed. The small fortified settlement of Cairanne became first a fortified village of the Templars
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
, who in 1123 began with the construction of the ramparts. As was usual during these times the ramparts served both as a fortified wall and as housing for the local population.
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V, born Raymond Bertrand de Got was Pope from 1305 to his death...
, and some of its properties were assigned to the Knights Hospitallers, with much of it remaining in the hands of King Philip the Fair
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
of France and King Edward II of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Cairanne was henceforth ruled by the Knights Hospitallers, who later became known as the Knights of Malta.
There were many years of war, marauding bands and diseases, including as the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
in 1348. Economic conditions for the common people were difficult and slow and a steady decline set in. Cairanne was added to the papal
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
territory in 1317 under the reign of Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
. It was ruled by a succession of noble families, the last one being Jean-Jacques Vidaud, who was guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
d in 25 June 1794 during the French revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Cairanne Wine
During the eighteenth century the economy of the region began to revive as wine growing increased in importance. A decree of 1766 demonstartates that the local winegrowers were thinking in terms of an appellation: "Innkeepers may only sell to private individuals wine of the place, in sealed bottles. In consequence, kindly ask the Police to place the seal on said bottles, and innkeepers must justify the provenance of their wine".In 1863 phylloxera
Phylloxera
Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...
first appeared and progressively destroyed the majority of French vineyards except for some in sandy terrain. At the beginning of the twentieth century the winegrowers struggled to revive the ravaged vineyards and enhance the quality of their wine. The main remedy was the use of resistant rootstock from the Five Finger Lake region in upstate New York to guard against phylloxera as well as to focus on quality rather than quantity. Finally Baron Pierre Le Roy Boiseaumarié, a trained lawyer and winegrower at heart, successfully obtained legal recognition of the "Côtes du Rhône" appellation of origin in 1937.
The village of Cairanne is on the southern Côtes du Rhône wine route and its quality wines are designated Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC
Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC
Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages is a French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in the southern Rhône wine region of France. It is made up from a list of villages around the region which supposedly produces a high quality of wine. It is above the more generic Côtes-du-Rhône AOC but below appellations...
. Other notable wine villages nearby are Gigondas
Gigondas
Gigondas is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Geography:Gigondas lies in between Vacqueyras and Sablet at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountains.-Wine:...
, Rasteau
Rasteau
Rasteau is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Vaucluse department*Rasteau AOC, a wine appellation covering Rasteau and some neighbouring communes-References:*...
, Seguret
Séguret
Séguret is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...
, Sablet
Sablet
Sablet is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It is a fortified Provençal village rich in history.-Geography:...
, Beaumes de Venise, Vacqueyras
Vacqueyras
Vacqueyras is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-See also:* Dentelles de Montmirail*Communes of the Vaucluse department*Vacqueyras AOC*Raimbaut de Vaqueiras-References:*...
. Wines labeled Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC are the next step up from step in quality up from Côtes du Rhône AOC
Côtes du Rhône AOC
Côtes du Rhône is a wine-growing Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for the Rhône wine region of France, which may be used throughout the region, also in those areas which are covered by other AOCs...
, while those in the next highest category add the name of the village to the label. The Cairanne red wines are full-bodied, fruity and spicy (black pepper), with a smooth finish.
Buildings
The village is made up of two distinct parts: the old village (population 80) on top of the hill and the village proper below (population 850). Most of the buildings in the old village date from the eighteenth century except the old ramparts which date back to the 12th century when first the Knights TemplarKnights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
and then the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
lived in the village. A steep stairway leads up to the keep and then on to the St Roch chapel (1726) located next to the Autanne Gate. A pathway along the ramparts (1123), which surrounds the old village affords panoramic views of Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald...
and Mont Saint-Andéol. On the path round the battlements are two round towers and a square one called the "Templars' Tower".
Visible historical remains that can be seen include the old village, the keep, the Chapel of St Roch (1726), the ramparts (1123), the 18th century Autanne Gate, the Chemin de Ronde de St Roch (a path round the battlements), the Templars' Tower, and the Chapel of Notre Dame des Exés (1631).
External links
- (French) cairanne.net