Le Bar-sur-Loup (, literally ''Le Bar on Loup''; oc, So Barn; it, Albarno) 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 southeastern

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 ...

. Originally known simply as Le Bar, the commune was renamed Le Bar-sur-Loup by a decree dated 27 March 1961 published in the ''

Journal Officiel A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

'' on 1 April, with effect from 2 April 1961. Its inhabitants are known as ''aubarnais'' - ''aubarnenc'' in

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

- 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 The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

near Villeneuve-Loubet.

History

The first record of the commune was recorded in 1078, in the book ''Albarnum or Poncii Albarni''. In 1235, the village was renamed to ''Catrum de Albarno'', and throughout the 16th century, it was renamed to Lou Barn, Le Barn, and finally Le Bar-sur-Loup.

Places and monuments

Church of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur :The carvings on the door are quite notable. On the inside is an altarpiece painted by

Ludovico Brea Ludovico (or Louis) Brea (c. 1450 – c. 1523) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance, active mainly in and near Genoa. Brea was born into a family of coopers in Nice, and later moving to Liguria, he painted numerous altarpieces that display ...

, 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 The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ) (from the French language), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification of ...

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 François Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse, Marquis of Grasse-Tilly SMOM (13 September 1722 – 11 January 1788) was a career French officer who achieved the rank of admiral. He is best known for his command of the French fleet at the Battle of the ...

on 13 September 1722. He became the Comte de Grasse and served as a career French naval general, :At the entrance to the courtyard before the castle is a broad-based square tower. This is the old castle keep, now used as 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. The Chateau de Grasse is now operated as a hotel.

Gallery

Image:Le Bar-sur-Loup - Église Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur -293.jpg, Église Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur Image:Le Bar-sur-Loup - Église Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur -298.jpg, Roman funerary plaque in the wall of the church Image:Le Bar-sur-Loup -287.jpg, Le château des comtes de Grasse Image:Le Bar-sur-Loup -289.jpg, The base of the old tower keep Image:Le Bar-sur-Loup -304.jpg, ''La porte Sarrasine'' (The Saracen door) Image:Le Bar-sur-Loup -307.jpg, The Loup gorge as seen from the church square

Population

Legend

During Lent, a count in Le Bar held a party during which all the guests died. A

was painted to commemorate this 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, who are weighed in a balance held by

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

(sitting at the feet of Christ). The ghosts are sent into the jaws of a monster, representing the entrance to hell.

Notable persons

(1722-1788), Comte de Grasse and career naval officer who made rank of admiral and was a hero to the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, defeating the British in a critical battle.

Sister city

Le Bar-sur-Loup has a sister city: *

Poquoson Poquoson (), informally known as Bull Island, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,460. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Poquoson with surrounding York County ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...