Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (December 2008) Click [show] on the right for instructions.
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Moustiers-Sainte-Marie |
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 Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Arrondissement | Digne-les-Bains |
| Canton | Moustiers-Sainte-Marie |
| Mayor | Alain Archiloque (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 474–1,729 m (1,555–5,673 ft) (avg. 631 m/2,070 ft) |
| Land area1 | 87.97 km2 (33.97 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 710 (2008) |
| - Density | 8 /km2 (21 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04135/ 04360 |
| 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. | |
Coordinates: 43°50′54″N 6°13′19″E / 43.8483°N 6.2219°E
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, or simply Moustiers, (Mostiers Santa Maria in Occitan) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France, a part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
It lies at the western entrance to the Gorges du Verdon. The village has been a centre of the pottery trade, especially faïence, for centuries.
The village clings a hundred or so metres up the side of a limestone cliff. A spring flows out of the cliff, creating a waterfall directly out of the centre of town. At twilight, the sun strikes the south-facing cliff, creating a diffuse pink light for a few minutes on clear days.
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[edit] The Star
Above the town, a gold painted star hangs on a 225m long chain suspended between two cliffs. Its origin according to a legend popularised by Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral lies in the 10th century although the original star and chain have been replaced several times since then. The current star is about 50 years old. It was rehung a month after a fall 10 years ago when the chain snapped, using a helicopter...[1][2][3]
[edit] Legend
According to the legend, during the Crusades the knight Bozon de Blacas held prisoner by the Saracens vowed to hang a star over the village on his return. No one knows how it was originally hung there.[4]
[edit] Population
| Year | 1765 | 1793 | 1800 | 1806 | 1821 | 1831 | 1836 | 1841 | 1846 | 1851 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1955 | 1902 | 1831 | 1752 | 1828 | 1725 | 1790 | 1812 | 1589 | 1473 |
| Year | 1856 | 1861 | 1866 | 1872 | 1876 | 1881 | 1886 | 1891 | 1896 | 1901 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1372 | 1297 | 1193 | 1246 | 1193 | 1167 | 1137 | 1062 | 1001 | 907 |
| Year | 1906 | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1946 | 1954 | 1962 | 1968 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 868 | 785 | 548 | 545 | 542 | 534 | 494 | 444 | 478 | 535 |
| Year | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2008 |
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| Population | 602 | 575 | 580 | 625 | 710 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Histoire". Office de Tourisme de Moustiers Sainte Marie. http://www.moustiers.eu/le_village/rubrique.php?idcontent=13. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
- ^ "The village of Moustiers Sainte Marie". La Bastide de Moustiers. Archived from the original on 2006-04-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20060429231546/http://www.bastide-moustiers.com/englishIndex.cfm?action=village. Retrieved 2006-06-18.
- ^ Collins, Sarah (March 3, 2002). "A Wild Road Follows A Wild River". New York Times, Travel Section. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E3D71F3EF930A35750C0A9649C8B63&sec=travel&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2006-08-30.
- ^ "Tourist information in English". http://www.moustiers.eu/le_village/rubrique_en.php?idcontent=13. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
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A view of from outside the village
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The peaks above the village, with the famous star suspended between
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Engraving from an eighteenth-century painting of the village
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Close-up of the golden star hanging over Moustiers Sainte Marie
[edit] External links
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