Le Bar-sur-Loup

Le Bar-sur-Loup
A general view of the village
Coat of arms
Le Bar-sur-Loup
Location within Provence-A.-C.d'A. region Le Bar-sur-Loup
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Alpes-Maritimes
Arrondissement	Grasse
Canton	Le Bar-sur-Loup
Intercommunality	Sophia Antipolis
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Richard Ribero
Area1	14.47 km2 (5.59 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	2,778
• Density	190/km2 (500/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	06010 / 06620
Elevation	100–1,312 m (328–4,304 ft) (avg. 310 m or 1,020 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Le Bar-sur-Loup is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.

Originally known simply as Le Bar, the commune become known as Le Bar-sur-Loup by a decree dated 27 March 1961 published in the Journal Officiel on 1 April, with effect from 2 April 1961.

Its inhabitants are known as Aubarnais - Aubarnenc in Occitan - or simply Barois.

Geography

The commune gets its name from the Loup, a coastal river that runs through it. The Loup flows into the Mediterranean near Villeneuve-Loubet.

History

Famous ruins of a viaduct are located in a village near Le Bar-sur-Loup. The viaduct was destroyed by German soldiers who occupied the village during the Second World War. The construction of the viaduct took two years, starting in 1940 and finishing in 1942. Towards the end of the war, the Germans evacuated the village and blew up the viaduct. Later, la Compagnie des Grands Travaux de Marseille (a public construction company at the time) ordered the destruction of remaining parts of the viaduct that were close to collapse. On the other hand, pillars that were considered as non-dangerous were left in place, and serve as a reminder of the time for local inhabitants.

Places and monuments

Church of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur

The carvings on the door are quite notable. On the inside, one can see an altarpiece painted by Ludovico Brea dating to the 16th century as well as statues from the 17th century. In the back of the church, there is a wood carving of a danse macabre from the 15th century.

Le château des comtes de Grasse

A quadrangular building built on vaulted cellars, with two towers to the south and a smaller one to the north. The castle was sacked in 1792 and sold to the villagers in 1832. Restored, it was divided into apartments. It was the birthplace of François Joseph Paul de Grasse, Comte de Grasse and French naval general, on 13 September 1722.

At the entrance to the courtyard before the castle, one can see a broad-based square tower. This is the old castle keep, now a tourist office. Before it was dismantled in 1792 it had seven storeys. A museum has been set up on the first floor which tells the stories of the village's most famous residents.

Gallery

• 

  Église Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur

• 

  Roman funerary plaque in the wall of the church

• 

  Le château des comtes de Grasse

• 

  The base of the old tower keep

• 

  La porte Sarrasine (The Saracen door)

• 

  The Loup gorge as seen from the church square

Legend

During Lent, a count in Le Bar held a party during which all the guests died. A danse macabre was painted to commemorate the divine punishment. It shows Death as an archer, firing arrows at the guests. Ghosts rise from the mouths of the corpses in the form of small, naked people, which are then weighed in a balance held by Saint Michael (sitting at the feet of Christ). The ghosts are then sent into the jaws of a monster, representing the entrance to hell.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1962	1,501	—
1968	1,647	+9.7%
1975	1,691	+2.7%
1982	2,043	+20.8%
1990	2,465	+20.7%
1999	2,543	+3.2%
2008	2,778	+9.2%

Personalities

It was the birthplace (1722) of 18th-century Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse.

Sister city

Le Bar-sur-Loup has a sister city:

• Poquoson, Virginia, United States of America.

See also

• Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department

References

• INSEE