Vaucluse (Department, France)

Last modified: 2024-11-16 by olivier touzeau
Keywords: vaucluse |
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Flag of Vaucluse - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 14 May 2019

• Administrative data
• History of the department of Vaucluse
• Flag of Vaucluse
• Flag of the former General Council
  • Former flag of the General Council
• Ceremonial flag of Vaucluse
• Municipalities

  Bollène Gigondas Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (L') Monteux Pernes-les-Fontaines Pertuis

  Roaix Saumane-de-Vaucluse Séguret Sérignan-du-Comtat Valréas Vedène

• Intermunicipal Authorities
• Choralies (choir festival organized in Vaison-la-Romaine)

See also:

• France
• France: Metropolitan departments
• Clickable map of France (departments)

Administrative data

Code: 84
Region: Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
Traditional provinces: Comtat Venaissin, Provence
Bordering departments: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Ardèche, Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, Gard

Area: 3,520 km² (including the canton of Valréas, enclaved in the department of Drôme)
Population (2017): 559,479 inhabitants

Préfecture: Avignon
Sous-préfectures: Apt, Carpentras
Subdivisions: 3 arrondissements, 17 cantons, 151 municipalities.

The department is named after Vallis Closa, the "closed valley" from which emerges the Fontaine de Vaucluse, the source of river Sorgue. The site is known by hydrologists worldwide as the model of "Vaucluse spring".

Ivan Sache, 15 November 2009

History of the department of Vaucluse

The department of Vaucluse was created as the (then) 87th French department by Decree of 25 June 1793. It incorporates the following former entities:
- Comtat d'Avignon, incorporated to France on 14 September 1791 and allocated on 28 March 1792 to the department of Bouches-du-Rhône as the district of Avignon;
- Comtat Venaissin, incorporated to France on 14 September 1791 and allocated on 28 March 1792 to the department of Drôme as the district of Carpentrads;
- Principality of Orange, incorporated to France in 1713 and allocated in 1790 to the department of Bouches-du-Rhône;
- Viguerie (a former administrative division of Provence) of Apt, allocated in 1790 to the department of Bouches-du-Rhône;
- County of Sault, allocated in 1790 to the department of Basses-Alpes.

In 1800, the canton of Suze-la-Rousse was incorporated to the department of Drôme, recreating the former Papal Enclave of Valréas (Valréas, Grillon, Richerenches and Visan), which forms an exclave of Vaucluse enclaved in Drôme.

Ivan Sache, 15 November 2009

Flag of Vaucluse

The flag of Vaucluse (photo, photo, photo), based on the modernized logo adopted in 2011 by the General Council, is yellow with a blue canton, a white stylized "V" on both parts, and the words “Département de Vaucluse” in blue on the yellow field.

Olivier Touzeau, 14 May 2019

Flag of the former General Council

Flag of the former General Council of Vaucluse - Image by Olivier Touzeu, 14 May 2019

The flag of the former General Council of Vaucluse (photo, photo), adopted around 2006 with the modified logo of the Genral Council, had a yellow stripe at hoist, a light blue field with the stylized ”V”, and the words “Conseil général de Vaucluse” in white beneath.

Olivier Touzeau, 14 May 2019

Former flag of the General Council

Former flag of the General Council of Vaucluse - Image by Ivan Sache, 1 December 2004

The former flag of the General Council of Vaucluse was white with the former logo of the General Council.
The logo is made of a blue square charged with a "fuzzy" white "V". A dark yellow vertical stripe is placed along the left side of the square, from which it is separated by a white fimbriation. "Conseil général de Vaucluse" is written in blue beneath the square.

Ivan Sache, 1 December 2004

Ceremonial flag of Vaucluse

Ceremonial flag of Vaucluse - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 14 May 2019

The department's ceremonial flag (photo, photo, photo), kept since at least 2011 in the office of the President of the Council, is a flag of Provence with the coat of arms of the department in the center.

A coat of arms was assigned to Vaucluse by Jacques Meurgey de Tupigny & Robert Louis in "-Marques symboliques des départements français, as "Gules two keys or in saltire tied by a ribbon azure". The department, formed in great part by the former Comtat Venaissin incorporated to France in 1791, is represented by the arms once used by the Comtat, residence of the Holy See: St. Peter's two keys.

Arms reflecting more accurately the origin of Vaucluse were adopted on 4 June 1971 by the General Council, as "Quarterly, 1. Gules a key or and a key argent in saltire, 2. Azure a fleur-de-lis or in chief a label gules, 3. Azure a branch of orange tree slipped and leaved vert fructed of three oranges or a chief or a bugle horn azure garnished and stringed gules, 4. Gules three keys or in fess."
The quarters represent Comtat Venaissin, Provence (Viguerie of Apt and County of Sault), the Principality of Orange, and Comtat d'Avignon, respectively.
The greater arms of the department are surmounted by Mt. Ventoux, the emblematic "Giant of Provence", and supported dexter by Rhodanus, a man symbolizing river Rhône, and sinister by Sorgia, a woman representing river Sorgue. The two rivers pour water that form a "V", for "Vaucluse", beneath the shield.
[Grand Armorial du Comtat Venaissin]

Olivier Touzeau & Ivan Sache, 18 May 2019