Oppède-le-veux was built in the 12 century, The name comes from the word "oppidum" (Gallic fortified city, on a high place ), corresponding well to the site of Oppède-le-Vieux..

Originally belonging to the Count of Toulouse, after the crusade of the Albigeois in 1274, Oppède passed to the authority of the popes, and remained a part of the papal enclave, Le Comtat Venaissin, until the French Revolution.

After thriving in the Middle Ages the village was abandoned from the 17th onwards.

SITES

Amongst the ruins, is the church known as the Collégiale Notre-Dame d'Aliidon, located high above the town. Within the walls of this ancient structure are a great number of frescoes.

The château, was once the property of the counts of Toulouse, then the home of Antipope Benedict XIII.

Carved into the mountain and with many secret passages, Oppède-Le-Vieux became a perfect hiding place for artists escaping the persecution of the Nazis with their purge of unsuitable art,

Painters, writers and sculptors, known as le Groupe d’Oppède, hid in the village led by the architect Bernard Zehrfuss. The community of artists refugees grew to about 50 strong, the most notable of whom were the sculptor François Stahly, and the artist and writer Consuelo de Saint Exupéry (wife of Antoine de Saint Exupéry, of Le Petit Prince).

Markets

-market day is Saturday in Oppede-le-vieux