Blieux

Overview

commune

Where to stay in Blieux

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What to see, what to do

Parish church of Saint-Symphorien

The village's parish church, dedicated to Saint Symphorien, destroyed by the inhabitants in 1595 during the Wars of Religion, then rebuilt in the 17th century and remodelled in the 18th; very archaic in character, with rough, plain decoration, it has side chapels formed by vaulted recesses in the walls. It holds an 18th-century marble Virgin and Child classified as a historic object, and a mid-19th-century canvas, 'The visit of Saint Antoine to Saint Paul the hermit', attributed to Fidèle Patritti.

Chapel of Sainte-Élisabeth (La Melle)

The chapel of the hamlet of La Melle, at more than 1,400 m above sea level, evidence of the commune's scattered high-mountain settlement.

Chapel of Saint-Pons (Thon)

The former chapel of Saint-Pons in the hamlet of Thon, now in ruins; its foundations may go back to the 13th century, the place being documented as early as 1122. Other chapels (Bas-Chaudoul, the ruined La Tuilière) complete the scattered religious heritage.

Ruins of the château

Remains of a 12th-13th century château crowning the top of the old village, marking the former seigneurial power (the Castellane and then Pontevès families).

Old bridges over the Asse

A group of old bridges crossing the Asse de Blieux and its tributaries: the Asse bridge at la Rouvière (17th-18th centuries), the La Melle bridge (19th century, partly cut into the tufa), and other structures below the old village.

Summit of the Mourre de Chanier and Mont Chiran

The Mourre de Chanier (1,930 m) and Mont Chiran (1,905 m) overlook the commune. An astronomical observatory created by the CNRS occupies the summit of the Chiran (first buildings from 1967 onwards). On 29 August 1827, from the survey marker on the Mourre de Chanier, Captain Adrien Durand carried out triangulation measurements, in exceptional visibility, with two Corsican summits (Monte Cinto and Paglia Orba).

History of Blieux

Blieux appears in the texts in 1110, as a possession of 'Raimundus de Bleus'. The fief then came under the episcopal chapter of Senez, before passing into the hands of the Castellane family (13th century), the Pontevès family (14th century) and the Engelfred family (18th century); the parish churches were attached in turn to the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille, to the bishop of Senez and to the Abbey of Lérins. In 1342 the Count of Provence attached the community to the viguerie of Castellane. During the Wars of Religion, the inhabitants themselves destroyed their church in 1595 to stop the enemy from seizing it; it was rebuilt in the 17th century and again in the 18th. A patriotic society was formed after 1792 and the Napoleonic land register was completed around 1811. The commune reached its population peak in 1836 with 969 inhabitants, before going through one of the sharpest demographic declines in the department: about 450 inhabitants in 1896, then a long erosion down to some sixty inhabitants today. The economy, historically based on sheep farming, mixed mountain farming and lavender, now rests on only a few farms and on outdoor tourism.