Haut Var / rive gauche

Châteauvieux

One of the highest mountain communes in the Var (average altitude around 1,080 m), about 28 km from Castellane. The area, heavily wooded, is drained by the Jabron (a tributary of the Verdon) and by many small valleys. Settlement is split between the 'upper village' (church, town hall) and the 'lower village' (château).

83840VarDemonym: Châteauvieillains, Châteauvieillaines (also Castelvieillencs, Castelvieillencques)

Commune du Parc naturel régional du VerdonRéserve naturelle géologique de Haute-Provence

Today in Châteauvieux

Today’s alerts (access to forest massifs, swimming, water restrictions, roads): data updated live when the page opens, from risque-prevention-incendie.fr, baignades.sante.gouv.fr and VigiEau, as well as the recorded roadworks schedule. If JavaScript is disabled, please consult these official sources directly.

Weather in Châteauvieux

· — Forecast updated live when the page opens. If JavaScript is disabled, please consult Météo-France.

Live forecast — data by MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Coordinates 43.787, 6.596.

Health in Châteauvieux

The Annuaire Santé directory (file dated 1 October 2026) lists no health professional in private practice or in a health centre in Châteauvieux. This does not mean that no care is available there: the directory does not cover every way of practising.

  • Nearest doctor listed: Castellane, about 11 km as the crow flies
  • Nearest pharmacy listed: Castellane, about 11 km as the crow flies

Among the communes LiveVerdon covers. Straight-line distance between commune centres: the road can be much longer.

Emergency numbers, on-duty pharmacy, hospitals: Health and medical emergencies →

Overview

A small commune in the far north-east of the Var (83), bordering the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. A member of the Lacs et Gorges du Verdon community of communes and of the Verdon Regional Nature Park; partly covered by the Haute-Provence Geological Nature Reserve.

Where to stay in Châteauvieux

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What to see, what to do

Church of Saint-Honorat-et-Saint-Maur
The parish church of the upper village, with a bell dated 1668.
Château d'Arbaud (known as Bagarron)
A 17th-18th century château in the lower village, the former seigneurial seat. The original château having been razed during the Wars of Religion, a new château was built at the end of the 17th century; it took the name Bagarron after being bought in 1818 by Doctor Charles Poilroux, a physician from Aix.
Chapel of Saint-Pierre and remains of the abbey of Saint-Pierre-en-Demueyes
At the col de Saint-Pierre. A Cistercian nunnery is said to have stood here in the 12th-13th centuries (with the abbesses Huguette de Villeneuve and Béatrice de Castellane) before being destroyed during the depredations of Raymond de Turenne.
Chapel of Saint-Joseph and oratory of Saint-Joseph
The chapel of Saint-Joseph at the Plan d'Anelle and an oratory dedicated to the same saint.
Roman milestones
A Roman milestone found at the hamlet of les Demuèyes, recording the restoration of the road under the emperor Philip the Arab and his son (244-247), and re-inscribed at the beginning of the 4th century, gave the distance from Castellane. A second, uninscribed milestone was reused at the col de Saint-Pierre.
Fées cave (the Châteauvieux cave)
A cave in the Costevieille area where Bronze Age bones and pottery sherds were found.
Intercommunal war memorial
A war memorial shared with La Martre and Brenon.

History of Châteauvieux

The area has been occupied since prehistoric times (Bronze Age remains in the Fées cave) and was crossed by a Roman road marked by milestones towards Castellane. In the 12th-13th centuries a Cistercian nunnery is said to have stood at Saint-Pierre-en-Demueyes. The community was attached to the viguerie of Castellane by the Count of Provence in 1342. First a fief of the Castellane family, the lordship then passed into joint lordship (Raphaelis, Gombert, Demandolx de La Palud). The château was razed during the Wars of Religion by the troops of the baron de Vins, then rebuilt at the end of the 17th century in the lower village. In 1677 Fortuné de Demandolx sold the lordship to Melchior d'Arbaud de Bresc; the Arbaud family kept it until the Revolution (the lord fled shortly after 1789, the château being sequestrated). Returned to its owners in 1815, the house was finally bought in 1818 by Doctor Charles Poilroux and took the name Bagarron.

Getting to Châteauvieux

  • By road: Access by the departmental roads of the Artuby-Verdon.
  • Public transport: On-demand transport service, Zou! regional network.

Near Châteauvieux

Other communes in the Haut Var / rive gauche area

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