Le Bar-sur-Loup

Le Bar-sur-Loup So Barn (Occitan)
Commune
A view of Le Bar-sur-Loup
Coat of arms
Location of Le Bar-sur-Loup
Le Bar-sur-Loup Show map of France Le Bar-sur-Loup Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Coordinates: 43°42′07″N 6°59′23″E / 43.702°N 6.9897°E / 43.702; 6.9897
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Alpes-Maritimes
Arrondissement	Grasse
Canton	Valbonne
Intercommunality	CA Sophia Antipolis
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	François Wyszkowski[1]
Area 1	14.47 km2 (5.59 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	2,947
• Density	200/km2 (530/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Aubarnencs, Barois
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	06010 /06620
Elevation	100–1,312 m (328–4,304 ft) (avg. 310 m or 1,020 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Le Bar-sur-Loup (French pronunciation: [lə baʁ syʁ lu], lit. "Le Bar-on-Loup"; Occitan: So Barn; Italian: Albarno) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France.

Originally known simply as Le Bar, the commune was renamed Le Bar-sur-Loup by a decree dated 27 March 1961 published in the Journal officiel on 1 April, with effect from 2 April 1961.

Geography

The commune gets its name from the

near Villeneuve-Loubet.

History

The first record of the commune was recorded in 1078, in the book Albarnum or Poncii Albarni. In 1235, the village was renamed to Catrum de Albarno, and throughout the 16th century, it was renamed to Lou Barn, Le Barn, and finally Le Bar-sur-Loup.^[3]

Places and monuments

Church of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur

The carvings on the door are quite notable. On the inside is an altarpiece painted by

danse macabre

from the 15th century.

Le château des comtes de Grasse

A quadrangular building built on vaulted cellars, with two towers to the south and a smaller one to the north. The castle was sacked in 1792 and sold to the villagers in 1832. Restored, it was divided into apartments. It was the birthplace of François Joseph Paul de Grasse on 13 September 1722. He became the Comte de Grasse and served as a career French naval general,

At the entrance to the courtyard before the castle is a broad-based square tower. This is the old castle keep, now used as a tourist office. Before it was dismantled in 1792, it had seven storeys. A museum has been set up on the first floor which tells the stories of the village's most famous residents. The Chateau de Grasse is now operated as a hotel.

Gallery

• 
  Église Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur
• 
  Roman funerary plaque in the wall of the church
• 
  Le château des comtes de Grasse
• 
  The base of the old tower keep
• 
  La porte Sarrasine (The Saracen door)
• 
  The Loup gorge as seen from the church square

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,647	—
1975	1,691	+0.38%
1982	2,043	+2.74%
1990	2,465	+2.37%
1999	2,543	+0.35%
2009	2,805	+0.99%
2014	2,998	+1.34%
2020	2,927	−0.40%
Source: INSEE[4]

Its inhabitants are known as Aubarnais in French – Aubarnenc in Occitan – or simply Barois.

Legend

During Lent, a count in Le Bar held a party during which all the guests died. A

(sitting at the feet of Christ). The ghosts are sent into the jaws of a monster, representing the entrance to hell.

Notable persons

• François Joseph Paul de Grasse (1722-1788), Comte de Grasse and career naval officer who made rank of admiral and was a hero to the American Revolutionary War, defeating the British in a critical battle.
• Francis Jean Gaston Alfred Ponge (1899-1988), the notable poet, died in Le Bar-sur-Loup on August 6, 1988.

Sister city

Le Bar-sur-Loup has a sister city:

• United States of America.^[5]

See also

• Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department

References