In 1973 thanks to the actions of Jean Garcin, President of the Vaucluse ‘Conseil Général' (or County Council) and Marius Péraudeau, founder of the Richard-de-Bas paper mill and Curator of the History of Ambert Paper Museum in Auvergne, a cultural and craft group was created in Fontaine de Vaucluse. Its objectives were to renovate and protect the last remaining paper production along the banks of the river Sorgue, which had been witness to the flourishing paper industry for centuries. This group created the Vallis Clausa Society (meaning enclosed valley in Latin) which immediately established a Cultural Craft centre. The idea was not just to revive the memory of the site's paper making past, but also to promote a high-quality craft based on the fabrication of paper ‘by hand' (also called ‘by mould' or ‘by vat' both of which will be explained later). So today Vallis Clausa is a renovated mill producing high quality paper using traditional techniques dating from the 15th century. It is also a centre that employs around 20 craftsmen for various other traditional techniques such as leatherwork, glass painting and moulding, painting on silk, on porcelain, painting, sculpture, wooden toy making, regional products etc...Also found here are old letter presses and lithographic machines, press machines, shears and guillotines. The mill shop offers sheets of hand-made paper, with or without pressed flowers, as well as all kinds of texts, poems and illustrations printed on this locally made paper.