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Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Commune of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie View of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie |
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| Location | |
| Longitude | 06° 13' 19" E |
| Latitude | 43° 50' 54" N |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Arrondissement | Digne-les-Bains |
| Canton | Moustiers-Sainte-Marie |
| Mayor | Fred Single (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Altitude | 474 m–1,729 m (avg. 631 m) |
| Land area¹ | 87.97 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
625 |
| - Density (1999) | 7/km² |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04135/ 04360 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| ² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel). | |
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Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, or simply Moustiers, is a charming, romantic village and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département of southern France, a part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région. It lies at the western entrance to the Gorges du Verdon. The village has been a center of the pottery trade, especially faïence, for centuries.
The village clings a hundred or so meters up the side of a limestone cliff. A spring flows out of the cliff, creating a waterfall directly out of the center of town. At twilight, the sun strikes the south-facing cliff, creating a magical diffuse pink light for a few minutes on clear days.
Above the town, a star hangs on a 225m long chain suspended between two cliffs. According to legend, during the Crusades a knight of Blacas held prisoner by the Saracens vowed to hang a star over the village on his return. The star has been replaced several times over the centuries because it ages and occasionally falls. [1] [2]
- ^ The village of Moustiers Sainte Marie. La Bastide de Moustiers. Retrieved on June 18, 2006.
- ^ Collins, Sarah (March 3, 2002). A Wild Road Follows A Wild River. New York Times, Travel Section. Retrieved on August 30, 2006.
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