Cavaillon | |
|---|---|
 A view of Cavaillon | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Cavaillon | |
Cavaillon Cavaillon | |
| Coordinates: 43°50′15″N 5°02′17″E / 43.8375°N 5.0381°E / 43.8375; 5.0381 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Vaucluse |
| Arrondissement | Apt |
| Canton | Cavaillon |
| Intercommunality | CA Luberon Monts de Vaucluse |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Gérard Daudet1 |
Area 1 | 45.96 km2 (17.75 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)2 | 25,636 |
| • Density | 557.8/km2 (1,445/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 84035 /84300 |
| Elevation | 49–200 m (161–656 ft) (avg. 75 m or 246 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Cavaillon (French pronunciation: [kavajɔ̃] ⓘ; Occitan: Cavalhon) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France.3 It is situated in the Durance Valley, at the foot of the Luberon mountains.
History
Cavaillon was already a city in the Gallo-Roman period, and has several minor relics from that era, including a 1st century triumphal arch.4 Other minor relics of the Roman period have been found to the south of the town, on the site of the ancient Cabellio.5 It was the seat of the bishops of Cavaillon from the 4th century6 until the French Revolution.5 Saint Veran was bishop here in the 6th century,7 and the 12th-century cathedral is dedicated to him. In the Middle Ages Cavaillon was part of the Comtat Venaissin.5
The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1753.8
Geography
Cavaillon is part of the Regional and Natural Park of Luberon (parc naturel régional du Luberon) in the French Department of Vaucluse.
The Calavon, a tributary of the Durance locally called Coulon, flows westward through the middle of the commune.
The Durance forms the commune's south-western border.
Population
Historical population | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: EHESS9 and INSEE (1968-2023)10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Economy
Cavaillon is famous for its melons, as well as other early fruits and vegetables.5
Famous people
- Saint César de Bus
- Castil-Blaze, French musicologist, Music critic and Composer
- Luc Bulot, French palaeontologist
- Pierre Salinger, press secretary to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Senator from California, Paris bureau chief for ABC News
Sights
- the 11th-13th century Cavaillon Cathedral6
- Colline Saint-Jacques, with chapel
- Roman triumphal arch4
- the 15th-18th century synagogue, housing the Jewish Museum11
Twin towns
- Cavaillon has been twinned with Weinheim, Germany, since 1958 and Langhirano, Italy, since 2001.
Climate
| Climate data for Cavaillon (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1962–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.5 (68.9) |
22.3 (72.1) |
27.1 (80.8) |
29.8 (85.6) |
34.1 (93.4) |
37.5 (99.5) |
39.0 (102.2) |
38.9 (102.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
29.4 (84.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
20.3 (68.5) |
39.0 (102.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.9 (49.8) |
11.7 (53.1) |
15.6 (60.1) |
18.6 (65.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
27.2 (81.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
29.8 (85.6) |
25.0 (77.0) |
19.9 (67.8) |
13.6 (56.5) |
10.2 (50.4) |
19.6 (67.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.3 (41.5) |
6.6 (43.9) |
9.9 (49.8) |
12.7 (54.9) |
17.0 (62.6) |
20.7 (69.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.0 (73.4) |
19.0 (66.2) |
14.8 (58.6) |
9.1 (48.4) |
5.9 (42.6) |
14.0 (57.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) |
1.4 (34.5) |
4.2 (39.6) |
6.9 (44.4) |
10.7 (51.3) |
14.2 (57.6) |
16.6 (61.9) |
16.2 (61.2) |
12.9 (55.2) |
9.6 (49.3) |
4.6 (40.3) |
1.6 (34.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.0 (1.4) |
−19.0 (−2.2) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
0.0 (32.0) |
4.0 (39.2) |
7.2 (45.0) |
6.6 (43.9) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−9.2 (15.4) |
−20.0 (−4.0) |
−20.0 (−4.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 48.3 (1.90) |
37.5 (1.48) |
38.9 (1.53) |
64.5 (2.54) |
57.7 (2.27) |
34.1 (1.34) |
19.2 (0.76) |
44.3 (1.74) |
96.5 (3.80) |
91.0 (3.58) |
69.4 (2.73) |
51.6 (2.03) |
653.0 (25.71) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 5.6 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 7.1 | 6.1 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 5.2 | 7.4 | 6.6 | 5.9 | 63.5 |
| Source: Meteociel12 | |||||||||||||
References
References
- "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
- Commune de Cavaillon (84035), INSEE
- Base Mérimée: Arc antique, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 561.
- Base Mérimée: Cathédrale Notre-Dame et Saint-Véran actuellement église paroissiale Saint-Véran, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- "A Cavaillon nella Provenza in Francia, san Verano, vescovo, colmo di grandi virtù, soprattutto nell'assistenza ai malati". Santi, Beati. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- Base Mérimée: IA84000519, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Cavaillon, EHESS (in French).
- Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE
- Base Mérimée: Synagogue, Musée juif comtadin, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- "Normales et records pour Cavaillon (84)". Meteociel. Retrieved 14 December 2024.