Discover Callas: chapels, mills and the Gorges de Pennafort

Callas can be discovered through several distinct themes: religious buildings and pilgrimage traditions, collections exploring everyday life, and the geologically fascinating landscape of the Gorges de Pennafort. These themes offer different ways to shape a stay. Architecture, religious tradition, historical objects and landscapes each offer a different perspective on the town.

Chapels, church and pilgrimage traditions

The Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Pennafort combines a dome dating from 1855 with an older chapel site: the dome was built on the remains of an earlier chapel. A religious pilgrimage tradition associated with the chapel takes place on Whit Sunday. The people of Callas maintain this tradition, which offers a distinct historical and religious focus alongside the building’s history.

The Chapelle Saint Auxile has a different location and its own pilgrimage date. It lies 1.5 km southeast of Callas, on the summit of a hill overlooking the village. It is a place for walks and quiet reflection; a pilgrimage takes place there on the first Sunday in May. The two chapels thus differ not only in their respective traditions, but also in their described locations.

The Église Notre-Dame de l’Assomption also offers a historical reference point: the oldest surviving document relating to it is a charter dating from 1055. The dates associated with the religious sites refer to different things: 1055 dates a document relating to the church, while 1855 is the year the dome of the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Pennafort was built.

The Gorges de Pennafort and their setting

The Gorges de Pennafort are of particular geological interest and are overlooked by the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Pennafort. A small path leads to this chapel, which stands on a rocky spur at the confluence of two valleys. Here, the landscape and a religious building are linked by their specific setting. Visitors interested in the gorge can therefore explore not only its geological features, but also its connection to the chapel and its location.

The Chapelle Saint Auxile offers a different landscape setting: its hilltop overlooks the village, while Notre-Dame-de-Pennafort stands on the rocky spur where the valleys meet. These differing descriptions of their locations help distinguish the two chapels without conflating their pilgrimage traditions. At Saint Auxile, walks and quiet reflection are also part of the place’s described significance.

Museums: everyday life and an olive mill

The Maison du Patrimoine Callassien presents a 19th-century living room with regional clothing, furniture, everyday objects and agricultural tools. The collection draws attention to different aspects of domestic and working life at the time: clothing and furniture sit alongside everyday items and farming tools. The focus is therefore on a representation of a living space and the objects displayed in it.

The Moulin Musée preserves traditional olive-mill equipment, including a waterwheel, presses, wooden gears and a stone millstone. While the Maison du Patrimoine Callassien focuses on a living room and its furnishings, the Moulin Musée offers an insight into olive processing: a visit follows the olives from harvest to filling the container. The two collections thus offer different ways to explore material culture and work.

Advance reservations are required to visit the Moulin Musée; the museum opens by reservation. Check the local arrangements before your visit. For the other themes, you can choose what interests you most: religious buildings and pilgrimages, the landscape of the Gorges de Pennafort, or the two distinct museum collections.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Zacharie, Les Adrets-De-L'estérel, Les Arcs Sur Argens, Le Val, Solliès-Pont, Aiguines, Moissac-Bellevue, Grimaud.

For the broader travel overview: Var.