Le Bar-sur-Loup

Le Bar-sur-Loup

*So Barn* (Occitan)
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 Le Bar-sur-Loup
	Coordinates: 43°42′07″N 6°59′23″E / 43.702°N 6.9897°E
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
Area 1	14.47 km2 (5.59 sq mi)
Population (2021)	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.

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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 Loup, a coastal river that runs through it. The Loup flows into the Mediterranean 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 Ludovico Brea, dating to the 16th century, as well as statues from the 17th century. In the back of the church, there is a wood carving of a 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 danse macabre was painted to commemorate this divine punishment. It shows Death as an archer, firing arrows at the guests. Ghosts rise from the mouths of the corpses in the form of small, naked people, who are weighed in a balance held by Saint Michael (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:

Poquoson, Virginia, United States of America.^[5]

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ "Le Bar-sur-Loup visit, photos, travel info and hotels, by Provence Beyond". www.beyond.fr. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
^ "Le Bar Sur Loup" (in French). Association du Clue Des Jeunes du Bar Sur Loup. Archived from the original on 2 July 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2007.

[1] "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.

[popleg2021-2] "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.

[3] "Le Bar-sur-Loup visit, photos, travel info and hotels, by Provence Beyond". www.beyond.fr. Retrieved 5 June 2020.

[pophist-4] Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE

[Le_Bar_Sur_Loup-5] "Le Bar Sur Loup" (in French). Association du Clue Des Jeunes du Bar Sur Loup. Archived from the original on 2 July 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2007.

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