Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
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|---|---|
 The village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, seen from above | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie | |
  Moustiers-Sainte-Marie Location within France  Moustiers-Sainte-Marie Location within Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | |
| Coordinates: 43°50′54″N 6°13′19″E / 43.8483°N 6.2219°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Arrondissement | Digne-les-Bains |
| Canton | Riez |
| Intercommunality | CA Provence-Alpes |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Marc Bondil[1] |
Area 1 | 87.97 km2 (33.97 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 631 m (2,070 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 1,729 m (5,673 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 474 m (1,555 ft) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 683 |
| • Density | 7.76/km2 (20.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04135 /04360 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (French pronunciation: [mustje sɛ̃t maʁi]; Occitan: Mostiers Santa Maria), or simply Moustiers, is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France, with a population of approximately 683 people as of 2023.[3] It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association, and is known throughout Europe for the beauty and quality of its faïence.[4][5]
Geography
[edit]The village stands below cliffs near the entrance to the Verdon Gorge and lies in close proximity to Lake Sainte-Croix.[6][4] The Adou River flows from a spring between the cliffs, creating a small waterfall and a torrent through the village. Since the Middle Ages, this water has been used to power various mills.[6]
The village was built on platform terraces a hundred or so metres up the side of a limestone cliff. At twilight, when the sun on a clear day strikes the south-facing cliff, a diffuse pink light glows across the village.
Economy
[edit]Faïence
[edit]Moustiers developed as a center of faïence production during the 17th century, fostered by an abundance of clay quarries, water, and wood.[7] It is thought that Pierre Clérissy, a local potter, studied under the Italian monk Lozzaro Porri to learn the technique and formula of tin-glazed enamel in 1671.[8][9] Soon thereafter, more workshops opened, and Moustiers became a mecca of French earthenware.[8] During the Nine Years' War (1689-1697), King Louis XIV ordered French nobility to melt down their silver dishware in order to fund the war effort.[10][11] This led to an increase in popularity of faïence among the French elite, and the works originating from Moustiers found their way to aristocratic courts across Europe.[11][8] The Clérissy family became renowned for the quality of their white glaze and blue monochrome decorations, and their work was sought after by nobility.[7]
Employment
[edit]In 2023, INSEE recorded 427 jobs in the area, with 311 employed individuals and a 59% employment rate for people ages 15 and older. The employment concentration indicator (jobs in the area per 100 employed residents) for this demographic was 137.3. For people ages 15-64, the percentage of economically active working-age adults was 77.2%, with 67.6% employed and 9.7% unemployed. The percentage of economically inactive people was 22.8%, with retirees making up 6.0% and pupils, students or interns making up 5.1%.[12]
Administration and International Relations
[edit]Moustiers-Sainte-Marie belongs to the arrondissement of Digne-les-Bains and the Canton of Riez. It is also an active member of the Communauté d'Agglomération Provence-Alpes-Agglomération public body. Its INSEE commune code is 04135.[13]
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is twinned with Montelupo Fiorentino in Italy.[14]
The Star
[edit]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.[15][16][17]
Legend
[edit]According to the legend, during the Crusades 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.[18]
Population
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 535 | — |
| 1975 | 602 | +1.70% |
| 1982 | 575 | −0.65% |
| 1990 | 580 | +0.11% |
| 1999 | 625 | +0.83% |
| 2007 | 705 | +1.52% |
| 2012 | 691 | −0.40% |
| 2017 | 709 | +0.52% |
| 2023 | 683 | −0.62% |
| Source: INSEE[19] | ||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ↑ "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
- ↑ "Full set of local data − Municipality of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (04135) | Insee". www.insee.fr. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- 1 2 "Moustiers-Sainte-Marie – The Most Beautiful Villages of France". www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- ↑ Corona, Renato (2015). Musée de la faience.Moustiers Sainte-Marie. FRA. ISBN 978-2-84975-368-2.
- 1 2 "Heritage trail of Moustiers". Office de tourisme de Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- 1 2 Denis-Dupuis, Jessica (2023). "Antoine Clarissy, un faïencier parisien à l'origine de la faïence de Moustiers ?". Sèvres. Revue de la Société des Amis du musée national de Céramique. 32 (1). Persée - Portail des revues scientifiques en SHS: 22–29. doi:10.3406/sevre.2023.1627.
- 1 2 3 "The history of earthenware". Office de tourisme de Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- ↑ Coffin, Sarah D. (13 September 2016). "An Inspired Pot | Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum". Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- ↑ "Nine Years War | National Army Museum". www.nam.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- 1 2 "Moustiers Ceramics: Gifts from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Collection | Smithsonian Institution". www.si.edu. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- ↑ "Population active, emploi et chômage au sens du recensement en 2023 − Recensement de la population – Résultats pour toutes les communes, départements, régions, intercommunalités... | Insee". www.insee.fr. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- ↑ "Moustiers-Sainte-Marie | Insee". www.insee.fr. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ "I paesi con cui è gemellato Montelupo - Comune di Montelupo Fiorentino" (in Italian). Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ "Histoire". Office de Tourisme de Moustiers Sainte Marie. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
- ↑ "The village of Moustiers Sainte Marie". La Bastide de Moustiers. Archived from the original on 29 April 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2006.
- ↑ Collins, Sarah (3 March 2002). "A Wild Road Follows A Wild River". New York Times, Travel Section. Retrieved 30 August 2006.
- ↑ "Tourist information in English". Archived from the original on 16 January 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
- ↑ Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE
A view from outside the village
The peaks above the village, with the famous star suspended between
Engraving from an eighteenth-century painting of the village
Close-up of the golden star hanging over Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
External links
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