Standing like stone sentinels above the Durance, the Pénitents des Mées are a geological curiosity in the Haute-Provence Geopark, as unexpected as they are spectacular.
Erosion has carved out a hundred-meter-high alignment of pillars and blades in Valensole pudding (-1.65 to -8 MA), a conglomerate of pebbles set in natural cement. The site owes its name to this kilometer-long succession of conical shapes suggesting a procession of monks bowing their heads beneath their hoods. Legend has it that the monks who lived here in the remote days of the Saracen invasions were petrified by Saint Donat for having been a little too sensitive to the beauty of the beautiful Moorish captives held in the village.
In addition to its geological identity, this site is classified as a Sensitive Natural Area. The Pénitents trail, which starts from the village in the direction of the Saint-Roch chapel, follows the ridges through Mediterranean vegetation, offering a wide panorama over the Durance valley and the Lure mountains.
