History of Sorgues

Prehistory and Antiquity

This site was occupied as early as the Neolithic period. This is in fact what made it possible to verify the rescue excavations during the work on the territory of the municipality. The stations of Ferrailles and Saint-Martin have revealed traces of fireplaces, pottery, lithic tools, blades, drills, arrowheads, etc. However, the most important prehistoric site is located at the “Mourre de Sève”, dates from the Hallstatt era, in the First Iron Age. It was occupied between the 6th and 2nd centuries BC. Thanks to the excavations, remains were discovered proving commercial relationships with the Phocians of Massalia, in particular amphorae, an Attic cup and decorated ceramic pieces. At a place called “La Traille”, excavations allowed us to discover a relay on the Via Agrippa, between Avignon and Orange where urns and amphorae were excavated.

The Middle Ages

A stone bridge was built to replace an old wooden bridge in the second half of the 11th century. From 1063, the city was called Pons Sorgie, Pons-de-Sorgo in Provençal and Pont-de-Sorgue in French. The Count of Toulouse (who was suzerain of the County of Provence) had a castrum erected to defend this passage.
John XXII had the first pontifical palace built on the foundations of the ancient castrum in 1317. It was in 1322 that the Abbot of Cluny returned to the Papacy his rights over the parish church. The Mint, located inside the pontifical palace, stopped broadcasting in 1354 to be transferred to Avignon. Urban V made it his summer residence in 1364.

The Renaissance

The pontifical palace, defended by an Italian garrison, was burned on August 2, 1562 by the Baron des Adrets who also ruined the Célestins convent in Gentilly. Another disaster occurred in December 1570: the waters of the Ouvèze, pushed back by a flood of the Rhône, invaded the city, which caused numerous victims. While the plague of 1580 caused only a few dozen deaths, the following ones in 1587 and 1641 caused many more deaths.

The Modern Period

The plague of 1720 caused several hundred deaths. The Revolution expelled religious orders from the city, in particular the Celestins of Gentilly. While the remains of the pontifical palace were still being restored in 1786, they were sold to contractors who used the stones as building materials. During the month of November 1840, heavy rains caused the water level to rise to 1.25 meters... Those of 1856 reached 1.87 meters.

The Contemporary Period

While the landing was being prepared in Provence, the city was bombed on August 2, 1944 by Allied air raids. On August 18, 1944, a last deportation train passed through Sorgues and resistance fighters helped prisoners escape. A monument now pays tribute to the passage of “the Phantom Train”.