Fête des Pétardiers

Every last Sunday in January, the Fête des Pétardiers has been celebrated in Castellane for almost 450 years.

At the end of January, it’s cold in the streets of Castellane and the town is almost deserted. The Fête des Pétardiers is a chance for everyone to get together. A theatrical re-enactment of the event is organized, with period costumes on loan. A group of Castellanese get together every week for most of the year to put on the show. A re-enactment handed down from generation to generation There’s also a dance and music show. Birds of prey demonstration, medieval catering, mulled wine…

Before turning to the events that took place on January 31, 1586, let’s look back at a few key episodes in the troubled times that pitted Catholics and Protestants against each other in Provence, and in Castellane in particular.

The Wars of Religion in Provence

Since 1530, the Vaudois, who had settled in Luberon for the previous century, had been subjected to brutal repression. The Vaudois claimed Protestant beliefs, which had been declared heretical in 1501. Several Luberon villages were wiped off the map. A veritable civil war broke out throughout Provence and many other parts of France. Despite the terrible violence, Protestantism gradually spread throughout the kingdom. It wasn’t until the accession of King Henri IV in 1594 that the situation finally calmed down. True peace was consolidated a little later with the Edict of Nantes in April 1598.

The Wars of Religion in Castellane

The first outbreaks of religious unrest in Castellane occurred in 1559. Brun de Caille had converted the Castellane family to Protestantism. In the summer of 1560, a Protestant captain named Paulon de Mauvans plundered the town. He moved in after signing an agreement with the governor of Provence. On October 4, 1574, a new Protestant attack was repulsed by the Castellanese and inhabitants of neighboring villages.

The day of the attack in Castellane

Les Pétardiers, January 31, 1586. Protestants led by the Duc de Lesdiguère and the Baron d’Allemagne marched on Castellane. They attempted a surprise attack to take and plunder the town once again. Judithe Andrau, coming from Barréme, her place of residence, spotted the troops in the forest and hastened to sound the alarm when she reached Castellane.

With no military support, the Castellanese had to organize their own defense against the attackers.

Not much remains of the siege’s history. We do know, however, that Judithe Andrau, the heroine of the day, killed Jean Motte, the captain of the attackers. In fact, she threw a cauldron of boiling weight over his head from the top of the Porte de l’Annonciade. This gate, which still exists today, was the city’s weakest point at the time. As for the German Baron, he was shot in the back. This sounded the death knell for the Protestant attackers.

The last Sunday in January has been a busy one for centuries. Long before tourism became Castellane’s summer glory. Come one, come all in January – if we run out of costumes, there’ll always be neoprene suits!

 

The Funny Helmets.