La Bastide · 83

Maison Noble de La Bastide

In a small village of the Haut-Var, a 17th-century château — the Maison Noble — now houses the town hall, a stone's throw from the ruins of a medieval fortified settlement and a church of the same century.

The essentials

The Maison Noble, also called 'le Château', is a 17th-century building that now houses the town hall of La Bastide, a small commune in the Haut-Var (83).
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Tourisme and the Verdon Regional Nature Park both list it as a heritage site of the Verdon area, alongside the region's museums and themed houses.
The Provence7 website describes it as an elegant bastide with corner turrets and an enclosed courtyard, with corbelled turrets (culs-de-poivrière) and mullioned windows.
This 17th-century château is distinct from the ruins of the medieval fortified settlement of 'La Bastide-d'Esclapon' (the commune's former name), located at the place known as La Madeleine, north of the village, and destroyed during the Wars of Religion.
With 227 inhabitants (2023 census, Wikipedia), it is a very small village in the Haut-Var, at the foot of Mont Lachens — the intercommunal tourist office presents it above all as a nature destination rather than a heritage one.
As the building is the seat of the town hall, it is seen from the outside, in the course of a stroll through the village; none of the sources consulted mentions an indoor exhibition open to the public or visiting hours.

The Maison Noble, a château turned town hall

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Tourisme dates the building to the 17th century and refers to it as 'aujourd'hui le Château' (today the Château).
The Provence7 website specifies that it is an elegant bastide with corner turrets and an enclosed courtyard, with culs-de-poivrière (small corbelled turrets) and mullioned windows, and that it now houses the village town hall.
The telephone number published by the Verdon Regional Nature Park for the Maison Noble (04 94 76 80 19) is the same as that of the La Bastide town hall in the official directory of communes.
No source consulted mentions an organised indoor visit: the building is seen from the street, as a stop on the village's heritage trail.

The ruins of the fortified settlement of La Bastide-d'Esclapon

Before being called simply La Bastide, the commune bore the name La Bastide-d'Esclapon (recorded in 1801 according to Wikipedia).
In 1342, the community of La Bastide was attached to the viguerie (judicial district) of Castellane, according to Wikipedia.
Around 1660, François de Pontevès is cited as lord of Castellar and of La Bastide d'Esclapon.
At the place known as La Madeleine, north of the village, stand the ruins of an older fortified settlement — a keep, curtain walls, arrow slits and defensive walls several metres thick according to Provence7 — destroyed during the Wars of Religion. It is a site distinct from the Maison Noble and town hall of the village.

The church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine

Located close to the château and town hall, the church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine dates from the 17th century, with a medieval base restored in the 19th century according to Provence7.
It preserves a bell from 1760, a high-altar altarpiece, a statue of the Virgin and Child and a reliquary statue of Saint Mary Magdalene.
Commemorative plaques are also reported in the church and on the façade of the town hall.

A very small village of the Haut-Var

La Bastide has 227 inhabitants (2023 census, Wikipedia) over 11.76 km², at the foot of Mont Lachens (1,714 m), the highest point of the Var.
The commune is sometimes presented by regional tourism websites as the highest village in the Var (around 1,000 m above sea level); this ranking could not be cross-checked with certainty and is not repeated here as an established fact.
The intercommunal tourist office (Dracénie Provence Verdon Agglomération) mainly highlights the natural setting — a green valley, hundred-year-old oaks, the foot of Mont Lachens — more than its built heritage.
The village is close to the Route Napoléon, in the north-east of the Var department.

Getting there & visiting

The Maison Noble stands in the centre of the village of La Bastide (83840), in the Haut-Var, at the foot of Mont Lachens, close to the Route Napoléon. As the building houses the town hall, there is no organised indoor visit to date according to the sources consulted: it is seen from the street, as part of a stroll through the village that also takes in the church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine and, to the north, the ruins of the fortified settlement of La Bastide-d'Esclapon. For any question, the La Bastide town hall remains the point of contact (04 94 76 80 19).

Official museum website (opening hours & prices) ↗

Frequently asked questions

What is the Maison Noble of La Bastide?

A 17th-century château, also called 'le Château', which now houses the town hall of the village of La Bastide, in the Haut-Var. It is listed as a heritage site by Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Tourisme and by the Verdon Regional Nature Park.

Can you visit the interior?

None of the sources consulted mentions an organised indoor visit or public opening hours: as the building is the seat of the town hall, it is seen from the outside, in the course of a stroll through the village.

Are the Maison Noble and the ruined 'feudal castle' of La Bastide the same building?

No, they are two distinct sites. The Maison Noble is the 17th-century château that houses the town hall, in the centre of the village. The ruins of the medieval fortified settlement — keep, curtain walls, defensive walls — are at the place known as La Madeleine, north of the village, and were destroyed during the Wars of Religion.

Where does the name 'La Bastide' come from?

The commune was formerly called La Bastide-d'Esclapon (a name recorded in 1801). In 1342 it was attached to the viguerie of Castellane, and around 1660 its lordship was held by François de Pontevès, lord of Castellar and of La Bastide d'Esclapon.

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