The commune of Le Castellet boasts some forty oratories.
This site groups together those that are most accessible.
They are generally located along roads and at crossroads, sometimes considered dangerous places,
- on a public road (74%);
- at crossroads,
- in fields,
- near a chapel or cemetery, to mark the memory.
With the exception of a single oratory on the northern slope of the medieval village, the oratories are mainly spread over the plain hamlets,
- Sainte-Anne has the largest number, notably along the "oratory path",
- Le Brûlat,
- Le Plan,
There are an exceptionally large number of oratories in our commune, and no one can quite put their finger on why.
Like menhirs and Roman steles, they were visible manifestations of the idea of inspiration towards heaven, in whose niches divinities were deposited.
Most of them are ancient, some dating back to the 19th century, and one of them is the oldest in the canton, dating back to the 17th century. This is the oratory dedicated to Notre-Dame de La Pinède in the Brûlat area, n°6.
Another is listed in the supplementary inventory of historic monuments by decree of October 7, 1931. This is the oratory dedicated to Saint-Antoine, Saint-Clair and Sainte-Anne, no. 2, located on the Tour du Bon estate.
These small monuments blend in perfectly with the rural landscape in which they have been placed. If they're not in the fields, they often stand in the shade of an old oak, near pines or an old grove.
Today, there are as many old oratories as there are new ones. The move from the public to the private domain changed the purpose of oratories. They are often functionalized. The mailbox, the lantern, the gate, the faucet or the name of the house are put there. We're witnessing a process of secularization.
We've gone from a monument that reassures and consoles, to a secularized monument.
