Monuments to visit Provence-Alpes-Côte D'Azur

The château looks more like a bourgeois residence than a real castle. In fact, it dates from the first half of the 19th century. Its predecessor, that of the Vassadel family, was destroyed during the French Revolution. A few 16th-century features remain, such as a tower pierced by fire hydrants and a room vaulted with a pointed arch. The lords of Vacqueras were already identified as the Vassadel family in 1338. More than 300 years of presence, even if in recent years it was the viguier who administered the small community. Unfortunately, this castle cannot be visited.

The Tournoux fortress is an important work composed of 6 forts ranging from 1,290 m altitude for the Esplanade Pellegrin to 2,000 m for the Serre-de-l'Aut. The Caures battery, which is open to visitors, is located at 1,800 m. Built between 1839 and 1866, these fortifications of the Maginot line are located on the border of the communes of Condamine-Châtelard and Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye. They defended the entrance to the upper Ubaye valley from the Arche pass. It should be noted that the forest track of about 2 km leading to it is not very passable

In the south of Armes square, this 400 meter long building, designed by Vauban, was originally used in the manufacture of cordage of sailing ships. This length was necessary to weave together the ropes of sailing ships strand by strand, rolled up on huge drums. This place had two levels of workshops. Inside the rope factory, the vaults supported by two rows of square stone pillars can be discovered in the Service Historique de la Défense library, the only public place of rope-making. The door of the facade of the rope making factory closed the former Jesuit College.

This suspension road bridge, located at the confluence of the Durance River, has always been an essential crossing point between Aix-en-Provence and Manosque. First built in the 15th century, it has undergone several destructions and reconstructions due to its strategic importance and lucrative toll. You can see the piers of the former suspension bridge, dating from 1832. Over time, various types of bridge were built, including a suspension bridge dating from 1835, which is now a listed monument. Despite damage during the World Wars and the Liberation, the bridge has always been rebuilt. The latest modern version dates back to 1988.

To the south of the rampart is the Fort, now a café. Two adjoining buildings reinforce the rampart at the rear, visible for a short distance. Erected in 1377, this rampart forms the eastern facade of the second enclosure of the old village of Grambois. It is built of rubble stone and is two metres thick, overlooking the village square dedicated to it. Featuring 8 narrow archways, it faces north, opposite the church.

Behind the monumental cross, built in 1753, stands the Tourrache, a tall rectangular tower whose projecting brackets at the top form the north face of the rampart. During the Wars of Religion in the 16th century, several improvements were made to the Grambois ramparts. However, despite these precautions, the Savoyard army stormed and pillaged Grambois in December 1590, marking the most tragic episode in its history. The tower was later used as a consular house in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The restored streets of the old village of Grambois are mainly cobbled, with occasional staircases featuring mule steps. Going down the rue de la mairie, two houses catch the eye with their magnificent facades. The first is set against the wall of the fortified enclosure. Its elegant basket-handle porch, topped by a mullioned window, is a real eye-catcher. The second, at the corner of Portail Neuf, rests against the surrounding wall and features a superb arched porch topped by an oculus.

In 1236, the Count of Forcalquier granted the castle to his vassals Pierre and Guillaume Jourdan. In 1388, it became a refuge for a third of the population when Bastide des Jourdans was fortified against danger. A 1555 inventory describes a relatively modest building that retains its original medieval structure, with a 13th-century base belonging to the Jourdan brothers. The square tower and main building were erected in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Between 1530 and 1790, the Astouard and Coriolis families successively owned and renovated the property. The last lord, Joseph de Coriolis, died in 1784. At the end of the 19th century, a painter and notary (ancestor of the current owner) bought it and restored it to its current state. Today, Château de la Bastide des Jourdans is privately owned and not open to visitors, except on rare occasions.

You are facing the old Saint-Pierre hospital. Built in 1713, it did not resist the pillages of the Revolution. The Germans held it during the First World War. Religious sisters surrounded the place before the Second World War and built a hospital again. But they have focused on their monastery and diseases spread in the various establishments of the surrounding area. Since that time, all attempts to reopen the institution had failed. In 1958, the city council decided therefore to transfer the whole administrative services in this location.

Adjoining against the Chapelle des Pénitents, it is the oldest fountains in the city. It dates back to the reign of Louis XIV. If you look at it, you will notice the two fish consumed by time. It is said that it once supplied the town with water. It is also one of the few Baroque fountains of Provence. But do not stop there because the city has no less than 14 fountains, some of them flow abundantly. It is ridiculous to say, but when the weather is very hot, you will feel freshened up when hearing them singing.

On the highest point of the village, stands the old 12th-century tower, known as Templar, the order of the Templar Knights who had a strong influence in the region in the past. But the fact that it was the seat of a residence of the temple is extremely contested. When the place was transformed into a town hall in the 19th century, it was topped by a clock tower and a bell. The clock underwent an identical reconstruction to keep the aesthetic structure of the building. The view over the landscape is magnificent.

This is the only remaining item of the castle built by Guillaume de Forcalquier in the twelfth century. A bell tower has been added to it long ago to give it a campanil. Today, it is on the Mirabeau Square and houses the tourism office. It was initially just a fortified tower. External threats multiplied, Guillaume Roger du Turenne built a real castle (15th century century) with a dungeon, main building, rectangular enclosure and ditches of protection. This fortress was demolished in 1596. The tower will be converted into a belfry in 1605.