Festival of Heritage of Pernes-les-Fontaines

Pernes-les-Fontaines: a city of water classified as a Remarkable Heritage Site

At the heart of the Comtat Venaissin, halfway between Carpentras and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Pernes-les-Fontaines is a town like no other. Its name says it all: the city alone boasts forty monumental fountains erected from the 15th to the 19th century, distributed throughout the intramural streets and in the extramural squares. Basin fountains, fountains leaning against facades, fountains in the center of crossroads... they constitute one of the most remarkable collections of historical fountains in France.

This exceptional heritage wealth has earned Pernes-les-Fontaines its classification as a Remarkable Heritage Site (SPR), which recognizes the architectural and historical value of its monuments, its medieval urban fabric, and its public spaces. Water is not just an adornment in Pernes: it is the very identity of the town, inherited from a hydraulic network cleverly designed in the Middle Ages to supply the entire borough with drinking water from the Comtat canals.

An exceptional architectural heritage

Beyond its fountains, Pernes conceals an architectural heritage of remarkable richness. The Tour Ferrande (13th century), classified as a Historic Monument, houses the oldest profane mural frescoes in France — a cycle of 13th-century paintings of exceptional quality, preserved in a medieval tower accessible for visits. The Porte Notre-Dame (15th century) and its medieval bridge spanning the Nesque, with the Gothic chapel crowning the arch, constitute a unique architectural tableau in Provence.

The Clock Tower, the belfry, the partially preserved medieval ramparts, the Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth church with its baroque side chapels, the 17th and 18th-century private mansions with sculpted portals... every street in Pernes is an invitation to discovery. The Fontaine du Cormoran (1761), the Fontaine Reboul (1761) and the famous Fontaine du Gigot are the most photographed in the town.

The Heritage Festival: a major event every four years

The Pernes-les-Fontaines Heritage Festival, or Culture and Tradition Days, has become one of the most significant events in the Comtadin city since 1980. It is a quadrennial event: it only takes place every four years, making it an exceptional moment long prepared by the residents and associations of the town. The last edition took place from September 20 to 22, 2024, and the next is announced for 2028.

For a weekend, the town goes back in time: residents, artisans, and volunteers don traditional Comtadin costumes, the streets come alive with scenes of yesteryear, Provençal dances, and regional music. Thematic guided tours around the fountains, opening of the Tour Ferrande and its medieval frescoes, an old trades market with potters, weavers, and calligraphers, artisanal demonstrations, and historical re-enactments make up this great popular event.

Water in the city and the gateway to Ventoux

One of the peculiarities of the Heritage Festival in Pernes is the highlighting of the fountains, sometimes illuminated in the evening for a nocturnal stroll through the ochre sandstone streets. The Nesque river, which runs along the old ramparts, and the Comtat canal system that once supplied the fountains are also at the heart of this festival.

Pernes-les-Fontaines is also the natural gateway to Ventoux. A stopover town on the route of the giant of Provence, it benefits from an ideal location between the Comtat plain and the foothills of Ventoux. The winemakers of the Ventoux appellation and local gastronomy — black truffle, cherry, strawberry, asparagus, Cavaillon melon — complete the experience of an authentic Provence. Outside of festival periods, Pernes' heritage remains accessible all year round thanks to its museums (Maison Fléchier, Maison du Costume Comtadin, Musée du Cycle, Musée de la Résistance) and the Porte du Ventoux tourist office.