Beauvezer

Overview

A village of the Haut Verdon at the entrance to the Saint-Pierre Gorges, a former cloth-making centre of the valley.

Where to stay in Beauvezer

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What to see, what to do

Saint-Pierre Gorges

A deep rocky cleft opening near the hamlet of Villars-Heyssier, appreciated for its landscapes, its flora and its mountain wildlife; one of the emblematic natural areas of the Haut Verdon.

Church of the Assumption

The village's parish church; the old building having burned down in 1728, the present church was rebuilt in 1882.

Church of Sainte-Anne (Villars-Heyssier)

The hamlet's church, preserving a 17th-century reliquary.

Chapel of Saint-Joseph (of the Penitents)

A 17th-century chapel (around 1640), restored.

Square tower

The remnant of a former medieval fortification, reused as a bell tower — a witness to the ramparts demolished at the end of the 16th century.

Former cloth factories

Traces of the village's important cloth-making past, which had up to five or six wool factories in the 19th century along the Verdon.

History of Beauvezer

The name Beauvezer appears in the charters around 1200 in the form 'Belvezer', formed from the Occitan 'bèl vezer', literally 'beautiful to see' or 'fine aspect'. The community obtained a consulate in 1233 and joined the viguerie of Castellane in 1342; at the end of the 14th century, it negotiated significant fiscal and judicial privileges. Its fortifications were demolished by order of the Parlement of Aix in 1596, and a fire devastated the old village in 1728, leading to its reconstruction closer to the Verdon. The 19th century was one of industry: from 1836 to 1843, several wool factories were built (Trotabas, Roux and others), and the village reached its demographic peak around 1856 with more than 800 inhabitants. The textile activity then declined until it died out in the middle of the 20th century. Recognised as a climatic health resort in 1925, Beauvezer was also, during the Second World War, a place of resistance and rescue — one of its inhabitants, Maria Canty, was recognised there as Righteous Among the Nations. The painter Henri Matisse stayed there in 1935.

Getting to Beauvezer

• Nearest train station: Gare de Thorame-Haute (train des Pignes, Chemins de fer de Provence)