The village of LACOSTE

Lacoste in Luberon is a hill top village a few kilometers away from Bonnieux, Menerbes, Gordes and Goult. The nearest towns are Apt at 10 km, Cavaillon and L'Isle -sur- Sorgue at 22 km.

The village is situated on a spur of the Petit Luberon dominated by its ancient castle that had belonged to the Marquis de Sade.

Occupied since the Upper Paleolithic ( - 35,000 years), the site contains many relics from prehistoric and Roman times.

The first village " castrum of costae " was cited in 1038 .
 
In 1533 , the lord of Simiane , lord of La Coste , had signed in 1533 an act of accommodation to the Vaudois families who came to repopulate the village.
 
In 1545, a persecution is organised against the Vaudois who had rallied the Reform. The village was looted, the lands confiscated and the population massacred.

The village, destroyed, is gradually rebuilt in the XVIIth century, the belfry dating from 1620. The Marquise de Crillon, without direct descendants ,
bequeath to Gaspard François de Sade , husband of Diane de Simiane ,who  became the first Marquis of La Coste . Their eldest son , Jean- Baptiste and his wife Mary Eleanor
Maille are the parents of the " Divine Marquis ."
 
The Marquis de Sade lived there from 1769 to 1772 , took refuge there until his imprisonment at Vincennes in 1777. Escaped during transfer to Aix , he found refuge
last from July 16 to September 7, 1778 before being returned to Vincennes.
 
It is in 1772 that the Marquis de Sade, very fond of theater, has built a 120-seat theater in his castle.

In 1792 , the castle was plundered. Heavily indebted, in the fourth year of the Republic, the Divine Marquis has sold its castle and lands.

The castle had several owners but no renovation was undertaken before 1952 .

In 2001, Pierre Cardin bought the Castle and launched a major project to secure the site. He also has created, in the courtyard of the castle and adjoining quarries, a Festival of music and theater in the summer.

In summer, you can now visit the apartments of the Marquis de Sade and discover furniture from the private collection of Pierre Cardin, contemporary works of art selected by the designer and wonderful views from the terraces of the Castle on the Calavon valley .