Le Vallon et la Cascade des Carmes

The Vallon des Carmes is a natural area of 31 hectares in the heart of green Provence, near Cotignac, in the Var. The water of the Fauvery created an oasis of greenery and coolness there, where the path leads through streams and waterfalls, including the Carmes waterfall. The place is also steeped in history: it has two caves developed over time, as well as a fountain and a tufa staircase.

In 1552, a confraternity of flagellants settled in the cave and developed a place of Marian worship there. The chapel of Notre-Dame du Bon Refuge, blessed on 2 July 1649, was built into the rock. The Discalced Carmelites settled there in 1678 and stayed until the Revolution, digging several cavities. The main nave, 20 metres long, has a shell-shaped altar and stalactites. After their departure, the site served as a paper mill and mills, now abandoned, and the cave was recently restored.

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