Áudio tour Visit of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

The town of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue took on its present form between the 11th and 12th centuries and was surrounded by ramparts in the 12th century. Until 1236, the town was administered by a consulate made up of consuls from lordly families. During this period, there was a proliferation of aristocratic residences (towers and fortified houses), some of which are still standing. There is evidence of a large Jewish community in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in 1268. In the middle of the 15th century, this community was forced to live around a single street, the carriera, which became a ghetto. Traces of this Jewish community are still visible today, despite the disappearance of the synagogue. In the 16th century, L'Isle was a stronghold of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, with the creation of new orders, the establishment of Franciscan religious establishments and the erection of four brotherhoods of penitents (the white and blue chapels have survived). The town was then seriously affected by the Revolution, particularly during the Terror, when it was pillaged and burnt down, and the synagogue was partly destroyed.

Water power in L'Isle, a major textile producer since the 12th century, employed between 300 and 400 workers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In addition, the town's large deposits of gypsum led to the development of the plaster industry. Plaster was a recurring material in construction and the decorative arts in L'Isle until the early 20th century. In the mid-twentieth century, the factories closed and L'Isle turned to tourism and antiques.