Dauphin in Haute Provence (04) near Forcalquier

Between the Luberon and Lure Mountain, Dauphin crowns a high hill overlooking the plain of Largue, a tributary of the Durance that flows down from Lure. Dauphin is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful villages in the Alpes de Haute-Provence, it is listed among the "Villages and Towns of Character".

The Via Domitia, main Roman route between Italy and Spain went through the town of Dauphin. Archaeology has confirmed the presence of numerous Roman villas and craft workshops. The village developed in the Middle Ages, when people left the plain for a safer hilltop site beneath a castle built by the Counts of Provence and defended by ramparts. The name of the village may derive from a Roman family name, Delfinus. The coat of arms of the village features an elephant.

Medieval gates, sections of the ramparts and a tower of the count’s castle survive. The tower is now topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary. Cobbled streets and covered passages wind between 16th- and 17th-century stone houses, with mullioned windows and beautifully carved door frames. The village church, under the protection of St. Martin, was rebuilt in the 16th century, incorporating Romanesque elements. It had been the castle chapel. Around Christmas, the church displays one of the oldest Nativity scenes in Provence. See the Nativity scene of Dauphin on Horizon Provence.

The panorama of the surrounding area is remarkable. To the north, the Montagne de Lure stretches across the horizon and marks the boundary of the Mediterranean climate. Mane, Saint-Michel-l’Observatoire and Forcalquier are visible. To the south lies the wooded Luberon, and to the east is nearby Saint-Maime, Dauphin’s twin village.

Accommodation in Dauphin and nearby

 

A selection of bed and breakfasts near Forcalquier on the Provence bed and breakfast portal

official website of the village : www.dauphin-commune.fr

Getting to Dauphin

GPS coordinates N 43°53'54'' - E 5°46'58''

The municipality of Dauphin is in the Luberon Regional Natural Park

Dauphin location : altitude 433 metres, 800 inhabitants, 4 miles from Mane, 11 km from Forcalquier, 12 km from Manosque, 24 km from Banon, 40 km from Apt, 70 km from Aix-en-Provence, 90 km from Avignon