Èze (; oc, Esa; it, Eza) is a seaside

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, ...

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 pre ...

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 ...

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 ...

. It is located on the

French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend from ...

, 8.5 km (5.2 mi) to the northeast of

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

and 4.5 km (2.7 mi) to the west of

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. In 2018, Èze had a population of 2,225. Its inhabitants are known as ''Ezasques'' (masculine and feminine).

History

The area surrounding Èze was first populated around 200 BC as a commune situated near Mount Bastide. The earliest occurrence of the name "Èze" can be found in the maritime books of Antonin as a bay called the St. Laurent of Èze. A hoard of ancient Greek silver phialae dating from the 3rd century BC was found in Èze in the late nineteenth century and is now part of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

's collection. The area was subsequently occupied by not only the Romans but also the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinc ...

, who held the area for approximately 80 years until they were driven out by William of Provence in 973. By 1388, Èze fell under the jurisdiction of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

, who built up the town as a fortified stronghold because of its proximity to

. The history of Èze became turbulent several times in the next few centuries as French and Turkish troops seized the village under orders from

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa ( ar, خير الدين بربروس, Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name: Khiḍr; tr, Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1478 – 4 July 1546), was an O ...

in 1543, and

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

destroyed the walls surrounding the city in 1706 in the

war of the Spanish succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

. Finally in April 1860, Èze was designated as part of France by unanimous decision by the people of Èze. Èze has been described as an "eagle's nest" because of its location overlooking a high cliff above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

on the French

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 ...

. It is so high that the light ochre church within (Notre Dame de l’Assomption built in 1764) can be seen from afar. An Egyptian cross inside the church suggests the village's ancient roots, when the

Phoenicians Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their his ...

erected a temple there to honour the goddess

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

.{{cn} Traditionally, the territory of the

Principality of Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque dialect, Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riv ...

was considered to begin in the Èze village (outskirts of Nice), running along the Mediterranean coast to

Menton Menton (; , written ''Menton'' in classical norm or ''Mentan'' in Mistralian norm; it, Mentone ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border. Me ...

, on the present Italian border.

Geography

The commune of Èze is located on the

, extending from the

Mediterranean Sea 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 ...

(Èze-sur-Mer) to the hilltop with a medieval village (Èze-Village). Saint-Laurent-d'Èze connects these villages. {{Multiple image, perrow = 2, total_width = 720 , align = left , direction=horizontal , image1 = Èze and Èze-bord-de-Mer 01.jpg , caption1 = The

Jardin botanique d'Èze The Jardin botanique d'Èze, also called the Jardin exotique d'Èze or simply the Jardin d'Èze, is a botanical garden located on the Place du Général de Gaulle in Èze, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. The garden was creat ...

and village known as Èze-bord-de-Mer as seen from the Château d'Èze , image2 = Eze from Château d'Èze.jpg , caption2 = A panorama of the northern part of Èze as seen from the Château d'Èze {{clear, left

Demographics

{{Historical populations , source = INSEEPopulation en historique depuis 1968
INSEE , percentages = pagr , align = none , 1968 , 1792 , 1975 , 1860 , 1982 , 2063 , 1990 , 2446 , 1999 , 2509 , 2007 , 2957 , 2012 , 2535 , 2017 , 2239

Tourism

Èze, renowned tourist site on the French Riviera, is famous worldwide for the view of the sea from its hill top. Its

is known for its collection of

cacti A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...

and

succulents In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

, as well as its panoramic views.

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

spent a significant amount of time in Èze. Old engraving of Eze

The oldest building in the village is the Chapelle de la Sainte Croix and dates back to 1306.{{cn, date=October 2022 Members of the lay order of the

White Penitents Confraternities of penitents ( es, Cofradía Penitencial; it, Fratellanza penitenziale; pt, Irmandade Penitencial) are Christian religious congregations, with statutes prescribing various penitential works; they are especially popular in the ...

of Èze, in charge of giving assistance to

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

victims, would hold their meetings there. The shape of the bell-turret is an indication that the village once belonged to the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the La ...

. The small

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

village is famous for its beauty and charm. Its many shops, art galleries, hotels and restaurants attract a large number of tourists and

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...

ers. As a result, Èze has become dubbed by some a ''village-musée'', a "museum village", as few residents of local origin live here. From Èze there are gorgeous views of the Mediterranean Sea. Eze-sur-Mer train station

Èze-Village can be reached by train from Nice via the train station Èze-sur-Mer or by bus from Nice. Close to the train station is a bus stop for buses bringing tourists to Èze-Village. The motto of the village is the phrase ''Isis Moriendo Renascor'' (meaning "In death I am Reborn") and its emblem is a

phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

perched on a bone.{{Cn, date=October 2022 The local dialect (nearly extinct) is similar to the Monégasque language of the nearby

; it is therefore related to Ligurian, but with some influences from the

Occitan language Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Valle ...

. Èze is one of sixteen villages grouped together by

Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur is the ''métropole'', an intercommunal structure, centred on the city of Nice. It is located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, southeastern France. It was created in Decem ...

tourist department as the ''Route des Villages Perchés'' (Route of Perched Villages). The others are: Aspremont, Carros,

Castagniers Castagniers (; oc, Castanhiers) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Population Tourism Castagniers is one of sixteen villages grouped together by the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur tourist department as the ...

Coaraze Coaraze (; oc, Coarasa) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography Coaraze is a small village in the Nice hinterland, in the valley of the River Paillon. The ...

Colomars Colomars (Nissart: Couloumas) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes ''département'' in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Inhabitants of Colomars are called ''Colomarsois''. Colomars is a part of the Pays Niçois. ...

Duranus Duranus (; oc, Duranús) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Population Tourism Duranus is one of sixteen villages grouped together by the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur tourist department as the ''Route de ...

Falicon Falicon () is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Population Tourism Falicon is one of sixteen villages grouped together by the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur tourist department as the ''Route des Villages Perc ...

La Gaude La Gaude (; oc, La Gauda) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. History To the south of the village, a restored Roman stele is close to the Aurelian Way, the Roman road that passed near the present cultural ...

Lantosque Lantosque (; oc, Lantosca) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. It is one of sixteen villages grouped together by the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur tourist department as the ''Route des Villages Perchés'' (Ro ...

, Levens,

La Roquette-sur-Var La Roquette-sur-Var (, literally ''La Roquette on Var''; oc, Sa Roqueta de Var) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. It is one of sixteen villages grouped together by the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur tourist ...

, Saint-Blaise, Saint-Jeannet,

Tourrette-Levens Tourrette-Levens (; oc, Torreta de Levens) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Population Tourism Tourrette-Levens is one of sixteen villages grouped together by the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur tourist d ...

and

Utelle Utelle (; oc, Uels) is a commune about northeast of Nice in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Geography It is perched on a hill along the Vesubie Gorge not far from the Mercantour National Park. Sights Formerly an ag ...

.{{cite web, url=http://www.nicecotedazur.org/uploads/media_items/villagesperches2013-ang.original.pdf, title=The route of perched villages, publisher=Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur, year=2013

History

Geography

Demographics

Tourism

See also