A little history

Apart from the roman site, Paradou has its origins in the upper middle ages (10th century). The village takes a certain prosperity from the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries (church, the house of Brabant). It was only after 1896, date of the inauguration of the railway station “Paradoux-les-Baux de Provence” that the village discovered an activity worthy of the XXth century. The arrival of the automobile liberated the site and opened new touristic perspectives.

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Mistral wrote about Paradou that it was a “gallant pichot village” in the Baux de Provence valley “where the houses seem to have been scattered like seed, which in summer it is true to say, needs a bit more water but is green enough thanks to the streams formed by the source of the Arcoule.


The roman site


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One could think that the name “Le Paradou” signifies paradise when life is so good there but it really represents a fuller’s mill which produced a material for stiffening cloth.
The village has 1200 inhabitants and is nested in the foothills of the Baux de Provence.
Its principal resources come from the production of the famous olive oil of the Baux de Provence valley.
This little commune has been able to preserve its authentic character by staying attached to its traditions.
It is also the birthplace of the Provencal “felibre” (local dialect poet), Charloun Rieu (1845 – 1924), loyal friend of the celebrated Frederic Mistral.