Maubec

Places to see: Church with an 18th century belfry.
Market: Farmers market on Sunday morning
Source: villagesdefrance.free.fr - mairiemaubec-Luberon.fr
Photos: Copyright: mairie de Maubec

This pleasant small village is quietly located at the foot of the Luberon mountain not far from Cavaillon. Surrounded by the magnificent landscapes of the Luberon Nature Regional Park, you can discover the Tower of the Clock of the Belfry, beautiful old houses and a few old doors nicely worn by time. It is the local people themselves who have restored the old houses carefully and with a lot of taste. The small streets “en calade” (traditional Provençal cobbled streets) lead visitors to a private castle.
The name of Malbec had several variants (including Malbeco, Malibecium, Malabeco) before establishing itself, in the 16th century, as Maubec.
Anecdotal explanations point that the people of Maubec were “mauvaises langues” (gossipers) who had "mauvais bec” (bad bill), or that the village was built on the wrong side, locally called "the ubac". More seriously, toponymists reflected on the various "Maubec" of France (Isère, Tarn and Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) and agreed to link "bec" (beak) to the celtic language spoken by the Gauls, with the notion of rock protruding, summit or even of fortification.
One thing is certain about the origin of this word, it is that it remains obscure and that none of the multiple etymologies are conclusive: “mauvais becs” for “mauvaises langues”?... Steep Rock?...