Vide-Grenier d'Orgon

A Car Boot Sale at the Orgon Arena

Every year, the Orgon arena, located on Chemin des Aires, hosts a popular car boot sale organized by the Club Taurin La Bouvine. In this small open-air arena with 300 seats, private and professional exhibitors offer bargain hunters a wide selection of second-hand items: clothing, tableware, toys, books, trinkets, small furniture, and collector's items. The event runs from 8 am to 3 pm, with refreshments and food available on site, in a typically Provençal family-friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Orgon, Sentinel of the Alpilles on the Durance

Orgon is a village of over 3,000 inhabitants located at the eastern end of the Alpilles mountain range, on the banks of the Durance river, which marks the border with the Vaucluse department here. The village occupies a strategic position as a natural gateway between the Alpilles and the Luberon, which has made it a passage point since prehistoric times. Illustrious figures have stayed here, from Louis XIV to Napoleon I. The Gorge of Orgon, an impressive limestone gorge carved by the Durance, is one of the most remarkable geological sites in Provence.

The Duke of Guise's Castle and Medieval Fortifications

Dominating the village from its steep cliff, the ruins of the Duke of Guise's castle bear witness to a turbulent military history. Fortified since the late Roman Empire, the fortress was rebuilt in the 11th century and became a renowned stronghold in the 12th century, responsible for monitoring the Durance valley. Louis XI had it demolished in 1483, the Guise family rebuilt it in the 16th century, before Richelieu ordered its dismantling in 1630. The medieval ramparts retain several remarkable gates, including the 11th-century Porte de l'Hortet and the Porte de la Durance.

Notre-Dame de Beauregard, Miraculous Sanctuary

At the top of the Beauregard hill, visible from the A7 motorway, the Notre-Dame de Beauregard chapel is a Baroque sanctuary built between 1638 and 1660 by the Discalced Augustinians. It houses a 14th-century wooden statue of the Virgin and Child, 1.40 meters high. Legend has it that in 1592, Baron des Adrets, a Protestant leader, threw the statue from the top of the 100-meter cliff: it remained intact, and a spring gushed forth at the point of impact. The access path is lined with 16th-century Renaissance oratories, carved with religious scenes.

What to Find at the Car Boot Sale

The stalls at the Orgon car boot sale offer the usual variety of Provençal second-hand markets:

• Clothing and accessories for the whole family
• Tableware, earthenware, and decorative items
• Toys and games for children
• Books, vinyl records, and collector's items
• Small furniture and tools
• Trinkets and curiosities

A Village to Discover

Take advantage of your visit to the car boot sale to wander through the alleys of Orgon and discover its rich heritage. The Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption church, dating from 1325, features a unique oblique choir in Provence, evoking the tilt of Christ's head on the cross. The village is also the eponymous site of Urgonian limestone, a geological term created in 1850 by the naturalist Alcide d'Orbigny from the Latin name for Orgon. The Musée Urgonia traces this 130-million-year-old geological history. The parents of Edmond Rostand, author of Cyrano de Bergerac, are buried in the cemetery on the hill.