MAILLANE : the soul of Provence.

Birthplace of the famous Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral (1830-1914).
Choosing deliberately to live all its life there, the poet, Nobel Prize of Literature, transformed this farmers' simple village into the cultural capital of Provence. It’s from Maillane that he initiated the revival of the language and of the Provençal culture. The visit of his house, is particularly moving: nothing has changed since his death. It offers the opportunity to penetrate into the simple and warm atmosphere of a furnished Provençal house, where every object evokes a memory.

Mistral is buried in the nearby cemetery : his grave is a replica of a building of the 16th : the pavilion of Queen Jeanne, situated in the valley of the Fountain in Les Baux de Provence. Were added sculptures representing inhabitants of Arles, the star of Félibrige, (a poets' association which he had created for the promotion of Provence), but also his 2 dogs!
His name was not on his grave, in accordance with his wishes : he wanted the glory of Provence,of  its culture and of its language, mattered little the glory of his name. You can read a latin inscription « non nobis domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo et Provenciae nostrae da gloriam » which translates as "Not to us, Lord, but to your name and to our Provence, gives glory."