Simiane-la-Rotonde has remained practically unchanged for centuries. On the hilltop stands the truncated cone-shaped edifice that gave Simiane-la-Rotonde its name: the keep, or rotunda, of the old Château des Simiane-Agoult. Built in the 12th century, its massive exterior is remarkable for its hexagonal shape. The interior, an uneven dodecagon, is especially splendid. It is a vast room with a series of arches topped by finely sculpted capitals. The ceiling has a stone cupola of 12 ribbed vaults towering five metres high. It is an amazing example of Romanesque architecture, both civil and military.
The southern wing of the castle has also been restored and you can visit parts of the main building and the fortifications. The rooms on the ground floor date from the Middle Ages and recount the castle's history. The upper floor, in Renaissance style, houses the Sainte Victoire Aromatherapy Laboratory, which offers workshops in essential oils to the public.The castle is also the magical setting for exhibitions and the international festival of early music Les Riches Heures Musicales de la Rotonde in August.
References:Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.
The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).