Archives départementales du Vaucluse
- Departmental Archives of Vaucluse
Address
Phone
Fax
History
From 1796 onwards, public repositories were set up in the departmental capitals with the aim of collecting ‘all the titles and papers acquired during the Revolution’ and making them accessible to citizens. Entrusted to the General Councils, they collected the records of the institutions abolished in 1790 as well as those of the new administrations. In part of the Palais des Papes, this historic documentary and cultural centre holds around twenty linear kilometres of documents classified into regulatory series. The oldest document dates back to the year 898.
Records Management and Collecting Policies
The archive is offering an original site with an innovative classification system, with the disappearance of the classic series in favour of a ‘statement of holdings’. The aim is to offer visitors a wider range of search options, with different depths of search (general or detailed).
Archival and Other Holdings
In terms of digitisation, the site offers access to civil records, including parish and civil registers, nominal population lists and the Napoleonic land register. For civil status, the sources seem to be limited to the end of the 18th century, although the site will gradually be expanded. Finally, it is also possible to consult military service registers from 1865 to 1939. In terms of iconographic holdings, more than 3,000 views of the département are available in the form of old postcards and period photographs.
Finding Aids, Guides, and Publication
Online available inventories: https://earchives.vaucluse.fr/document/FRAD084_egf#description
Catalogues and guides: https://archives.vaucluse.fr/mes-recherches/les-inventaires-en-ligne-1659.html
All publications: https://archives.vaucluse.fr/informations-transversales/publications-1207.html
Opening Times
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 08:30–12:30, 13:30–17:00.
Conditions of Access
Access to the reading room is free and open to all on presentation of photographic identification.
Registration is evidenced by the issue of a card, which must be presented each time you visit the service. Registration cannot be done remotely. Registration implies acceptance of the internal rules.
Accessibility
Please note that disabled access is difficult. The entrance to the service is located on the slope leading up to Notre-Dame-des-Doms. Wheelchair users travelling alone will find it difficult to access the archives (steep gradients, bumpy surfaces and steps).
Reproduction Services
For conservation reasons, photocopying is no longer permitted. Archives can only be reproduced digitally. There are 3 ways of doing this, in the reading room or remotely. The images produced can be re-used free of charge under certain conditions.
The services ordered are accounted for over a calendar year, and an exemption of €20 is granted. Beyond this amount, an invoice is drawn up and a notice of the amount to be paid is sent by the Vaucluse departmental pay office.
Public Areas
The Benedict XII chapel can be visited during the European Heritage Days, at events organised by the departmental archives or during visits for associations. Virtual tour of the chapel: https://www.v36.fr/visite-virtuelle/211213-AvignonChapelle/