Comps-sur-Artuby

Overview

A commune.

Where to stay in Comps-sur-Artuby

Compare and book on the major platforms. Hotels, campsites and gîtes in Comps-sur-Artuby will soon have their verified listing on LiveVerdon.

Services & shops in Comps-sur-Artuby

Fuel: 1 petrol station in the commune. See live prices →

What to see, what to do

Chapel of Saint-André (known as the Templars' chapel)

A 12th-century Romanesque chapel perched on a knoll at about 960 m, one of the highest points of the village, offering a panorama over the Artuby and the Verdon Gorges. An oven-vaulted apse, a nave of two vaulted bays without aisles, and a 13th-century lateral campanile. Traditionally linked to the Templars (founded around 1100), it then came under the Hospitallers of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, who held at Comps an important commandery linked to that of the Ruou. Classified as a historic monument on 16 November 1891. It houses two bells classified as historic objects, dated 1529 and 1668.

Chapel of Saint-Jean

A Romanesque chapel built by the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, at the eastern exit of the village. Registered as a historic monument in 1926.

Chapel of Saint-Didier

A chapel in the Provençal Romanesque style built by the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, about 800 m from the village on the road to Castellane (left-hand side). Registered as a historic monument in 1926. A procession (roumavagi) is held there on 23 May, the feast of Saint-Didier.

Church of Sainte-Philomène

The parish church, from the late 19th century. It preserves a 17th-century painting (Vision of Saint Dominic) and a monumental depiction of the Ark of the Covenant.

Bridge crossing the Artuby (Mauvais Pont)

An old bridge over the Artuby, known as the 'Mauvais Pont' (sometimes the 'Petit Pont' of the Avelan in old texts), which gave access to the high lands and the hamlet of the Avelan. Protected as a historic monument (Mérimée PA00081781).

La Souche bridge

A bridge said to be 'Roman', in reality built in the 17th century, in the hamlet of La Souche.

Chapel of Notre-Dame (de la Galine Grasse)

A chapel whose name ('de la galine grasse', the fat hen) refers to the poultry eaten during the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, celebrated on 8 September. It now lies within the grounds of the Canjuers military camp.

Lime kiln and Bonne Fontaine

A lime kiln restored in the Siounet forest, a witness to traditional know-how, and the Bonne Fontaine, a medieval spring and fountain that has been restored.

History of Comps-sur-Artuby

A village of medieval origin, Comps was attached in the 14th century to the Provençal vigueries. It was destroyed during the wars of succession of Queen Joanna I by the troops of Charles of Durazzo; its inhabitants then rebuilt their dwellings in nine scattered hamlets. The seigneury was granted in fief in 1381 to Foulque de Pontevès, then passed at the start of the 16th century to the knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, who held the entire seigneury. The military orders left a deep mark on the commune: the Templars are said to have founded the Saint-André chapel, and after the suppression of the Order of the Temple in 1312, the Hospitallers established there the seat of a commandery with substantial revenues (the Ruou commandery). Two grand masters of the Order of Saint John came from Comps: Arnaud de Comps (4th grand master, 1162-1163) and Bertrand de Comps (17th grand master, from 1236, died in Palestine in 1240). In December 1746, during the War of the Austrian Succession, the commune was occupied by the Austro-Sardinian troops, driven back on 21 and 22 January 1747 by the Franco-Spanish forces. Today, the economy rests on sheep farming, the cultivation of cereals and potatoes, tourism (proximity to the Verdon Gorges) and the presence of the Canjuers camp, one of the largest military training grounds in Europe.

Events & highlights

Feast of Saint-Didier — 23 May

A procession (roumavagi) to the chapel of Saint-Didier.

Feast of Saint John the Baptist — 24 June

Traditional processions.

Feast of Notre-Dame de la Galine Grasse — 8 September

A Marian patronal feast (the Nativity of the Virgin).