Les Taillades

The village of Les Taillades is built at the foot of the western end of the Luberon.
Two rocky spurs overlook the village (the church and the village tower) and offer an exceptional view on the quarries, the Luberon and the plain (from Cavaillon to Mont Ventoux!).

At the top, the historic village and its  18th century perched church were built on the remains of limestone quarries.

Entering the old village you can discover the 'Morvellous', a representation of St. Véran or atoning figure carved directly from the rock.

The quarry, which became a theater, is a remain of the time when the inhabitants lived from the stone industry (from the Middle Ages to the end of the 19th century). After this period the village extended towards the plain and to Carpentras canal which opened up new development prospects.

The exploitation of the stone was carried out by preserving the access road to the upper village, while reforcing its defensive system. This quarry in the heart of the old village has become the Théâtre des Carrières, where every summer many shows are given.

The stone cutter's tools are visible at St. Gens Chapel, which opens exceptionally on certain dates of the year.

On the lower part, the Carpentras Canal and its superb Saint-Pierre mill from 1859, was built during the madder production, a dying plant giving a bright red. It then became a flour mill from 1874 to 1881; since 1981 it is the village property.

Its imposing waterwheel, the largest in the Vaucluse, consists of 24 paddles. It is reflected in the old canal, bordered by an alley of centuries-old plane trees of great beauty.

Three explanatory panels apposed against the mill, explain the history of the mill and the canal.

The name of the village and the quarrying activity

It comes either from the stone-cutting activity or from the Latin "Tailladae" meaning "village on a rock". The quarries were dug in a very beautiful yellow limestone. This exploitation, which provided a living for the people of Taillad (from the Middle Ages until the end of the 19th century), gave the village its current appearance around the 19th century and ceased around 1925. In 1873, 12 quarries were identified in and around the village!