 |
|
| CULTURAL DISCOVERIES |
| Remarkable Villages |
MANE |
 Mane
is built entirely from light-coloured stone - a Miocene molasse
- taken from nearby quarries. Overlooked by the medieval citadel
(12th - 16th centuries) it is protected by a double wall and
perched on a shady peak.
Stone from Mane has been used since ancient times for prestigious
buildings such as the Château de Sauvan, built around
1720 and called the Petit Trianon of Provence.
The Place de l'Eglise is a superb architectural ensemble, with
Saint André church (16th - 17th centuries) and its bell-tower
31 metres high, the Chapel of the Pénitents (1613) with
a superb Renaissance gateway and the delicate steeply sloping
street leading up to the citadel.
Mane was a prosperous village for centuries. As early as the
year 55, a Roman imperial decree ordered that a provincial market
should be established there. During the Renaissance, wealthy
merchants built comfortable houses and mansions with carved
doors. The Miravail mansion (1540) is the most famous example
of this refined non-military architecture with the sumptuous
gypsum decoration of the fireplace.
Outside the village there are several places of interest, such
as the Romanesque Salagon priory, now the Haute-Provence Ethnological
Conservatory, the 13th century Porchères look-out tower,
and the Minimes convent with its beautiful 17th century fishpond.
|
|
|
|
©
2007 Alpes de Haute-Provence - All rights reserved
Journey
diary
04300
MANE
Add
this page to your journey diary