Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (; oc, Mostiers Santa Maria), or simply Moustiers, 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-de-Haute-Provence department 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 In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

of Southeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. In 2017, it had a population of 709. It considered one of the " most beautiful villages of France".

Geography

It lies at the western entrance to the

Verdon Gorge The Verdon Gorge (French: ''Gorges du Verdon'') is a river canyon located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is about 25 km (15.5 mi) long and up to 700 metres (0.4 mi) deep. It was formed by the ...

(''Gorges du Verdon''). The village has been a centre of the

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

trade, especially

faïence Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ...

, for centuries. A spring flows out of the cliff and creates a waterfall in town, providing water power. The village was built on platform terraces a hundred or so metres up the side of a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cliff. At twilight, when the sun on a clear day strikes the south-facing cliff, a diffuse pink light glows across the village.

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; the original star and chain have been replaced several times since then. The current star is about 50 years old. Ten years ago it fell after the chain snapped, and was rehung using a helicopter.

Legend

According to the legend, during the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

the knight Bozon de Blacas was held prisoner by the Saracens; he vowed to hang a star over his village if he was able to return. No one knows how the star was originally hung there.

Population

International relations

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is twinned with

Montelupo Fiorentino Montelupo Fiorentino is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence. Geography The area is predominantly hilly and is crossed by the river Pesa that, particu ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

References

File:Moustiers Ste Marie Provence France.jpg, A view from outside the village File:Moustiers-Sainte-Marie Schlucht mit Stern 0499.jpg, The peaks above the village, with the famous star suspended between File:Moustiers-Saint-Marie.jpg, Engraving from an eighteenth-century painting of the village File:Star above Moustiers Sainte Marie.jpg, Close-up of the golden star hanging over Moustiers-Sainte-Marie File:Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.jpg

External links

Moustiers Official Tourism website

Communes of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Plus Beaux Villages de France Alpes-de-Haute-Provence communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia {{AlpesHauteProvence-geo-stub