Bairols (; oc, Bairòls) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...

region of south-eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Bairolois'' or ''Bairoloises''. The commune has been awarded two flowers by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.

Geography

Bairols is located at an altitude of 830 metres on a rocky ridge some 20 km north of

Gilette Gilette (; oc, Gileta; it, Giletta) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Population The inhabitants are called ''Gilettois''. See also *Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department The following is a ...

and 5 km north of

Villars-sur-Var Villars-sur-Var (, literally ''Villars on Var''; oc, Vilar de Var; it, Villar del Varo) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. History It was part of the historic Co ...

. Access to the commune is by the M26 road from Tournefort in the south which passes through the south-eastern corner of the commune and connects with the tortuous M56 road which continues to the village. The commune is a rugged alpine commune.Google Maps
/ref> The

Tinée The Tinée (; oc, Tiniá) is a river that flows through the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France. It is long. Its drainage basin is .

river forms the eastern border of the commune as it flows south to join the

Var Var or VAR may refer to: Places * Var (department), a department of France * Var (river), France * Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran * Vár, a village in Obreja commune, Ca ...

. Many tributaries rise in the commune and flow east to join the Tinée including the ''Vallon du Serre'', the ''Ruisseau de Fava'', the ''Vallon du Bairols'', and the ''Ravin de Saint Martin''.

History

The name ''Bairolum'' is cited around 1040. The village was then given to

Lérins Abbey Lérins Abbey () is a Cistercian monastery on the island of Saint-Honorat, one of the Lérins Islands, on the French Riviera, with an active monastic community. There has been a monastic community there since the 5th century. The construction ...

then became a fief of the Grimaldi. The village was linked to the outside world by a motorable road in 1939. There were still 257 inhabitants in 1858.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...

Population

Sites and Monuments

*Ruins of a Chateau *The Medieval Church of Sainte-Marguerite whose "S" form is due to the topography. Inside there are two frescoes in the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

on the theme of the Baptism of Christ. The church has a painting by Jean Rocca of the Virgin of the Rosary and Mysteries dated 1645. The church also contains a Group Sculpture on a Processional dais of Saint Marguerite and the Tarasque (18th century) which is registered as an historical object.Ministry of Culture, Palissy *The Chapel of Saint Antoine above the village *The Chapel of Saint-Roch, above, built around 1750 *Remains of the Chapel of Saint-Martin *Two former oil and grain mills *The remains of the old village below the present village.