Lagnes, a discreet village

© Filmatik Production

One of the peculiarities of this village lies in the geological formation on which it rests...

Pieï Iron Mine

Located near the centre of the village, the network of galleries of the former iron mine extends beneath the Pieï hill. The name would be a derivative of the word “puech” in Occitan, “puèi” or “piè” in Provençal, podium in Latin, denoting a hill with often function of a defensive site.

It is a very old natural karst network set, extended by diaclases (cracks), artificially expanded with explosive. The first traces of the exploitation of iron mines in Lagnes date back to 1430.

In Provence and the Southern Alps, ferruginous deposits have been exploited irregularly since the Middle Ages. The concession began in 1832 and ceased in 1836 after the discovery of larger deposits at Rustrel. The concession returned to the State on May 11, 1929, following an unsuccessful auction

© J.-Y. Bigo

Miners extracted iron from natural cavities (sands and clays) using peaks and picks, which can be equated to harvesting rather than true industrialization. In the past, there were several iron mines in Lagnes, they were grouped into a single concession of 382 ha, located in the following places: Le Pieï, le Chat, les Loubières and les Esperelles.

Pieï Iron Mine est restée en son état depuis la fin de son utilisation, elle n’est pas ouverte à la visite.

If the village takes advantage of geological peculiarity to have other economic resources; some resources seem to be more difficult to obtain and pose some problems...

The fountain of the ramparts: a water story

The long tormented history of water in the villages of the Monts de Vaucluse and Luberon will largely condition that of its inhabitants and contribute to making their lives difficult. The Village of Lagnes is a fine example of this.

The supply of drinking water will always be an almost obsessive concern of the ediles of the village of Lagnes. Before the arrival of running water in the homes, the people of this village suffered for a long time from the shortage of drinking water.

© https://www.lagnes.fr/tourisme-decouverte/un-peu-dhistoire/

Built in 1812, the fountain of Rue des Remparts was the first built in the village, easily recognizable thanks to the coat of arms of the village carved there, yet it does not provide for the daily needs of the inhabitants of the time,

Therefore, the inhabitants had to seek water to meet their domestic needs directly at the Sorgue, a river located a little more than a kilometre from the village with all the inconveniences involved (journey, weight of water to carry...)

Work will be undertaken for the sum of 5610 old francs, which will not solve the problem because in 1852 the commune still suffers from lack of water.

In 1853, the commune decided to dig a well near the hill of Pieï to supply the village with the source of the Esperancons. But in 1870 the region suffered from the drought that had lasted for two years. The well and fountain of the Remparts are no longer enough. In 1873 the municipal council granted the urgency to equip the commune with a second fountain,

The fountain of the rue des Remparts was restored in 1978

Despite this thorny question of water, Lagnes has developed over the centuries, as well as village life. Although relations with the co-lords are not always good, the latter will put in place mechanisms for the daily life of its inhabitants.

A bread oven is a banality!

In the Middle Ages and until the French Revolution, the inhabitants were obliged to use seigneurial facilities to grind grain, squeeze grapes and fruits for juice and oilseeds for oil, cook bread or draw water.

© https://www.lagnes.fr/tourisme-decouverte/un-peu-dhistoire/

This gave rise to a tax in money or in kind called 'banality'. For bread, they had to use the so-called 'banal' seigneurial oven and pay a 'supply' fee. That is, the right to bake his bread in the Lord's oven with an obligation to give him some of the bread baked in it. This tax was also applied for other banal equipment. A certain amount of flour for the mill, oil and wine for the press...

In return, the lord had the duty to maintain his equipment and install an attendant on it who was responsible for levy the tax.

Taxes called banalities were so frequent that they gave the word 'banal' in our language today.

Thus the lord has free food, which is collected throughout the year.

The banal furnace of Lagnes dates from 1816, it was built on the ground floor of the old common house, rehabilitated in 2006 with the Heritage Foundation and the local mission, it now serves as an exhibition hall.

When we talk about the history of villages, when we visit them, we almost always think of antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the wars of those eras, the artistic currents that transform buildings... but we must not forget a more contemporary history that is no less important. What could be better than this week of commemoration on May 8, 1945, to talk about the resistance in Lagnes.

The Maquis of the Cat

La Ferme du Chat en 44 - © Unknown 1944 / Public domain

An isolated farm lost in the countryside of Lagnes served as a refuge after the 18 June call to a group of resistance fighters, the Franc Kléber group, prepared and conducted operations throughout the region against the enemy. With the complicity of some of the inhabitants.

For four hard years, Lagnes, as everywhere in France, experienced restrictions, deprivations, enemy occupation, arrests, deportations of patriots, injustices and brutal repression.

Lagnes then became a gathering place for those who were fighting against the enemy occupation. In the first months of 1943, in the hills of Lagnoises, the first local and regional Resistants grouped together. The Cat farm became the rallying point for the Refractory to Compulsory Labour in Germany and the Clandestine Combatants; the Maquis du Chat and the Groupe-Franc KLEBER settled there.

The Kléber Franc Group at the Chat Maquis in 1944 © Unknow Archives iconographiques du musée de la Résistance à Fontaine de Vaucluse / Public domain

Alphonse Bégou, Jean Garcin et Jules Ten © Unknown Archives iconographiques du musée de la résistance à Fontaine de Vaucluse / Public domain

From there, Jean GARCIN known as Colonel “Bayard”, Jules TEN known as Captain “Grillon”, Alphonse BEGOU known as Captain “Balkan” and their comrades organized and carried out nearly 300 armed operations of sabotage, destruction of enemy property and escape of imprisoned patriots.

His action was carried out not only throughout the department of Vaucluse but also in the neighboring departments, carrying major blows to stop the Nazi war machine.

During the Liberation, on the evening of August 22, 1944, the resistance members of the Chat maquis and the Franc Group Kléber occupied the town hall of Lagnes. Their first decision was to set up a local national liberation committee, open to all Republicans, whose first president was Jules Ten, a child of the village. It was this committee that, on August 25, 1945, brought together guerrillas and Republicans to celebrate the first anniversary of the Liberation.

Jean Garcin, known as Colonel “Bayard”, will be Councillor General of the Canton of Isle sur la Sorgue for almost half a century, his colleagues elected him President of the Conseil Général de Vaucluse from 1970 to 1992. He was at the origin of the Musée de la résistance à Fontaine de Vaucluse.