Gordes | ©Christoph Radtke / CC-BYOne of the Plus beaux villages du Lubéron! Gordes city is very, very old: the story began in the Gallo-Roman era, when a first stronghold was raised by Vordenses (a Gallic tribe).
In 1031, lords of Gordes fortified the place and raised the first castle. From that old castle completed in 1094, pieces of walls and a gate are still standing.
New castle's building site began in 1525, thanks to Bertrand Rambaud de Simiane. And yet lords of Gordes never came here! They probably were occupied in their other residences...
So meanwhile, Gordes inhabitants put cows and pigs in the abandoned castle! In the 18th century, it was transformed into a jail and a barracks: just imagine the state of the fortress when Gordes city owned it in 1811!