About Lacoste

Lacoste is a picturesque perched village overlooking the Grand Luberon to the east, Mont Ventoux to the north, and the Petit Luberon to the south. There are superb views over the valley of the Calavon as well as the village of Bonnieux which can be seen across the valley. There is  a nice walk from La Raffine into the village of Lacoste: turn right out of the driveway, turn left on chemin de la Treppe and then take the first right to take you down a path and through the woods into the village. There is also a walking path which takes about 45 minutes) between Bonnieux and Lacoste, ending near the Temple.

The traditional local architecture and cobblestone streets of Lacoste give the impression of a village where time has stood still. The oldest building in the town, the Maison Forte, dates back to the 9th century and the origins of the chateau de Lacoste are in the 11th century, although it was largely modified in subsequent centuries.

Les Vaudois in Lacoste

Lacoste has been part of Provence (and France!) since 1481, much earlier than neighbouring villages in the Comtat Venaissin (Papal States) which only joined France after the French Revolution in 1789.

Having suffered the plagues, wars and robberies of the 14th century, Lacoste was in need of settlers by the late 15th century. The village encouraged settlement by the Vaudois (Waldensians), a movement of early Christian reformers started in Lyon in the 12th century. Persecuted as heretics when they come out of hiding the 16th century, the Vaudois in Lacoste come to be viewed as an affront to papal authority given their proximity to the Comtat Venaissin. In 1545 Meynier d'Oppede, decides to cleanse the region of its heretics and the village of Lacoste was pillaged, the lands of the Vaudois were confiscated, the men slaughtered and the women raped before being killed. Almost completely exterminated, the Vaudois are integrated into French Protestantism.

The Marquis de Sade

Lacoste and the Chateau de Lacoste is best known for its most notorious resident, Donatien Alphonse Francois Comte de Sade, the Marquis de Sade, who owned and lived in the castle in the 18th century.  He redecorated that castle’s 42 room interior and his remodelling program was said to be lavish and fastidious. Amongst other innovations, amateur theatricals were the rage in 18th century France, and he installed a private theater that could seat an audience of 80. Also he was a passionate landscape gardener, and at the northern end of the estate, which overlooks the hills of the Ventoux, he fashioned a labyrinth of evergreens.

The Marquis de Sade stayed in the chateau from 1769 to 1772 until a series of incidents involving local women and the police, caused the Marquis to flee and eventually he was imprisoned. Throughout his internments, he maintained an extraordinary attachment to the chateau de Lacoste.   He last took refuge in the chateau from July 16 to September 7 1778 having escaped the prison authorities while being transferred to Aix-en-Provence. His castle was partially destroyed in an uprising in 1779 and then looted and plundered by locals. During the French Revolution, the castle was further vandalised and largely destroyed.  

In 1952, André Bouer, college teacher, became the owner of the chateau of Lacoste and dedicated himself to the castle's restoration.

 Lacoste Today

Lacoste has always maintained a contrarian streak, as a Protestant village surrounded by Catholic communities, as a village with a Communist mayor in power for fifty years. Certainly it is a village that welcomes free-thinkers. The Marquis fancied Lacoste as a destination for artists, which has in some part become true. In the late 1990s, the ruins of the castle, along with an attached quarry, were bought by fashion designer Pierre Cardin.  In summer each year, he organised a musical artistic festival in the castle, its courtyard and the nearby quarry which he transformed into a massive outdoor performance area and stage. Annually, Cardin's festival draws thousands during the month of July for world-class opera, theater, and music. Roberto Basilicati-Cardin has continued the tradition following the death of Mr. Cardin in late 2020 and the 2021 program has been a great success.

 Adding to Lacoste’s reputation as an artistic haven is the well-known art school which is located in in the upper levels of the village.   The Lacoste School of the Arts was founded in 1970 by American art professor and painter, Bernard Pfriem. Notable artists came to Lacoste to teach, including Benny Andrews, Denis Brihat, Henri Cartier-Bresson, David Douglas Duncan, Nene Humphrey, Gjon Mili, and Jean-Pierre Sudre, and Jane Eakins. The expatriate American poet, Gustaf Sobin, often taught poetry to students. The school continues year round on the upper levels of the village. Galerie Pfriem is open to the public and artwork (paintings, jewellery etc) from former students, faculty and alumni are sold in the SHOPSCAD boutique, including many charming mementos of Lacoste.