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Séguret (Municipality, Vaucluse, France)

by Arnaud Leroy

Presentation of Séguret
Municipal flag of Séguret

See also:

Presentation of Séguret

The village of Séguret (912 inhabitants, 2,104 hectares) is yet another typical Provencal village, one of the 140 members of the associations of Plus Beaux Villages de France (Most Beautiful Villages in France). Séguret is located 7 km of Vaison-la-Romaine and 45 km of Avignon.

The village is built in steps on a limestone hillside dominating the valley of the river Ouvèze. In the background of the village stands a group of hills known as Dentelles de Montmirail. These hills are the lowest foothills of Mount Ventoux. The lower part of the Dentelles is covered with pine and oak woods and vinyards, whereas the crest of the hills is indented into thin ridges and needles, therefore the name of Dentelles (lace).

The name of Séguret comes from Provencal segur, safe, probably refering to the isolated location of the village. Séguret belonged to the principality of Orange, created in 1178 by Emperor Frederic Barbarossa for princeps Bertrand des Baux. A belfrey and city walls were built in the XIVth century, with two gates, the Porte de la Bise (here, bise does not mean a kiss but a cold, dry northern wind) in the north and the Portail Neuf in the south. Séguret is also known for its XVth century fountain decorated with mascarons, this kind of decoration being common in Comtat Venaissin.

A winegrowers' brotherhood already existed in Séguret in 1685. It was ruled by a woman, called the bailleresseCôtes du Rhône Village - Séguret. A few other villages were allowed to add their name to the generic Côtes du Rhône Village name, for instance Roaix, Saint-Pantaléon-les-Vignes and Rousset-les-Vignes. Séguret and Roaix are neighbours and have set up a common cellar (Cave cooperative de Roaix-Séguret).

Since 1928, Séguret is known as the "Provencal Bethleem". Every 24 December, pilgrims climb through the village up to the St. Denis' church (XIIth century), where the midnight mass is celebrated in Provencal. The inhabitants of the village also set up each year a living creche.

Source: Municipal website

Ivan Sache, 31 May 2004

Municipal flag of Séguret

The flag of Séguret, as reported by Michel Lupant and Pascal Vagnat, from a booklet published by the General Council of Vaucluse, is red with a white trapeze in the bottom of the flag. A yellow tower with black masonry and openings (one door and two windows) stands on the trapeze. Two yellow keys are crossed in saltire behind the tower.

This flag seems to be a banner of the municipal arms, which are, according to the Provence des Papes website:

De gueules à une enceinte crenelée posée au sommet de trois coupeaux, au centre de laquelle est une tour à trois créneaux, brochant sur deux clefs en sautoir d'or.

The flag nearly exactly matches the blason, except that the tower is isolated and not part of a wall (enceinte) and stands on a trapeze and not three mounts (trois coupeaux).

However, a different coat of arms is reported by Brian Timms:

D'azur à la montagne à trois coupeaux d'argent chargée d'une tour d'or maçonnee de sable, au chef cousu de gueules à la clef d'or et à la clef d'argent posées en sautoir.

In English:

Azure a tower or pierced and masoned sable on a mount of three peaks argent a chief gules two keys in saltire the wards upwards and ourtwars the upper or the other argent.

The main difference is therefore the field blue instead of red and the keys of two colours instead of being both yellow. On the municipal website of Séguret a small picture shows the coat of arms similar to the one shown on the flag.
We can conclude that the current flag is the banner of the current arms. The caot of arms reported elsewhere might be older or simply erroneous.

Ivan Sache & Dominique Cureau, 31 May 2004