Le Castellet

Le Castellet is a tiny medieval town about a half-hour from La Ciotat. One of the teachers I work with took me there this weekend. It was very lovely, and reminded me of a Provencal Door County, in a way: lots of little boutiques, gift shops, restaurants, etc., cashing in on the ancient aspect of the town. 

According to Wikipedia, 111 people live there as of 2009. It wasn't exactly crowded when we went, but I can imagine how crazy it might get in the summer. There is also a medieval festival/Renaissance fair each year. I think they do some sort of Knights Templar re-enactment in front of the church.

Eglise St. Anne

 The Mayor's office is particularly cute, being made out of stone, and the view is amazing: Le Castellet is perched on a hill, all the better to see your enemies coming from miles away, I suppose. I'm sure the ramparts are not particularly useful anymore, except to keep tourists from falling down the hill...

Chateau Mairie

One of the coolest parts was the "four banal" in one of the shops, which dates from 1447. A "four banal" is roughly translated as a "community oven." The one in Le Castellet is round, like a turret or a spire (probably the best way to expel the smoke) and it was used up until the 20th century. Basically, the townfolk wouldn't be able to bake their own bread at home, because the building and maintaining of an over would be way too expensive individually. So, they would pay a tax to some noble with a big enough house to have an oven (and it was big--think 20-30 m diameter, at least) and thus secure a spot in the oven for their bread on baking day. Ingenious, no?

Il était une fois...

In 1720, the bubonic plague came to Provence--but--it did not come to La Ciotat.



An oriental ship docked in the harbor of Marseille unloaded cargo and, unintentionally, the black rats (and fleas) who spread the disease. Word spread through Provence, and the administrators of La Ciotat decided to close the gates of the town, not to let anyone in or out for an entire year, until the disease had run its course. Only one person in La Ciotat died from bubonic plague: a little girl, who has a monument dedicated to her downtown.

Because only one person died, the town celebrates this historical moment every year in a celebration called "1720" and this year there was a musical as well as a medieval village constructed--sort of like the French version of Medieval Times (or Heritage Hill for those who know Green Bay). I did not go to the musical because tickets were sold out and had to be reserved ahead of time. The village was also apparently smaller than usual, because they are doing two shows next year, one in the spring, since Marseilles is going to be the European Capital of Culture in 2013.

 The 1720-1721 Peste de Marseille was the last recorded outbreak of the disease in Europe, from the original epidemic in the 14th century through the Middle Ages to the 18th century and beyond. The bacteria still exists today, and can still be deadly, but it is normally treated with intravenous antibiotics and is only spread from human to human in later stages. That is to say, modern doctors can (in most cases) pinpoint and stop the disease before it becomes deadly or contagious, but it still needs to be done in 24 to 36 hours.

I went down to the Vieux port with the other assistants. We had a good time taking in all the sights and sounds (and smells) of the past. Food, music, and lots of townfolk, sailors, fisherman, and artisans livened up the port into a real party.

E. with donkey

There were butchers, bakers, candlestick makers...no, seriously! Plus washerwomen, glass blowers, traditional instrumental musicians, plague victims rising from the dead to dance... R. and I even got "kidnapped" by Portuguese pirates! It goes to show: anything can happen in a place like La Ciotat!

washerwomen

bakers

That's a gaita, not a bagpipe.