The Legend of Roussillon

Roussillon, a small hilltop village of the Luberon, is famous for is ochre. Between the late 18th century to the 1930's, there were many quarries operating with hundreds of workers to extract the ochre, which was very rich as it could offer until seventeen different shades ! Today, we still appreciate it with the houses of the village, wich are painting with different colours.

But do you know the legend about this ochre colour so special ?

Lady Sirmonde and her husband, Lord Raymond d'Avignon, lived in Roussillon together.

But Lord Raymond d'Avignon, who liked going to hunt with other lords of the region, was absent very often and deserted his wife.

Lady Sirmonde, abandoned by her husband, met a young man : William. They felt in love and became lovers.

One day, the Lord Raymond d'Avignon found out the truth about her wife and William.

He decided to elaborate a machiavellian plan to punish her wife : During a hunting party, he invited William the lover and killed him.

For the next dinner, he prepared a plate for her wife, which was in fact the heart of his lover, cooked with some spicy sauce.

When he revealed the trusth to his wife, she just told him : "Lord, you game me a so good meal that never I want more to taste."

Lady Sirmonde was so grief-striken by the death of the lover that she jumped off the cliffs and committed suicide, her body blood coloring the lands of Roussillon forever.

Contact us to discover Roussillon & the ochre path !