Carrières de Lumières at Baux-de-Provence: immersive art in a thousand-year-old quarry

From quarry to Cathédrale d’Images

The quarries of Val d’Enfer were worked from Roman times onwards and throughout the Middle Ages. It was here that the soft white stone of local limestone was extracted, particularly well suited to sculpture and construction. Extraction ceased in the early twentieth century, leaving behind vast halls with flat ceilings, supported by natural pillars, the architecture of the underground quarries.

In 1977, journalist and photographer Albert Plécy conceived the idea of using this mineral space for projection. He founded the Cathédrale d’Images, which would present audiovisual performances on the walls for three decades. The concept anticipated, with the technical means of that era, what would later become digital immersive art.

2012: acquisition by Culturespaces

In 2012, the site was acquired by Culturespaces and renamed Carrières de Lumières. The projection technology shifted to high-definition digital: over 100 video projectors, spatialised sound, immersive exhibition renewed annually. The first exhibition, “Gauguin, Van Gogh, painters of colour“, marked the turning point.

Since then, the site has presented a new immersive exhibition each year, projected at 360° across the walls: Klimt, Vermeer, Chagall, Cézanne, Kandinsky, Monet, Dalí, Vincent van Gogh, Cocteau, Yves Klein, Egon Schiele… The 2026 programme offers “Picasso, art in motion” and “Frida Kahlo, at the heart”, opening from 13 February 2026.

The experience: what you see, what you hear

The visitor enters mineral halls of considerable height, in dim light, on a stone floor. The works unfold simultaneously across the walls, pillars and floor, this is the “immersive” character of the installation: no screen, no frame, painting becomes the décor. The spatialised soundscape accompanies the movement of images and shifts according to the area where you stand.

The interior temperature remains stable at around 15°C throughout the year, a detail worth noting: bring a jacket, even in high summer. The route is free to explore, with no set duration; allow approximately one hour, longer if you wish to see multiple projection cycles.

When to visit

Weekday mornings outside peak season are the quietest slots; visitor numbers become noticeable from 11am in July, August. Online booking is recommended year-round, essential in high season. Bundled ticketing with the castle of Baux-de-Provence (800m away, some fifteen minutes’ walk uphill) offers preferential rates.

Planning a stay in the Alpilles

AEC Collection curates and represents fine homes and villas in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Maussane, Les Baux and throughout the regional park. Tickets are booked directly with the Carrières.