Seillans

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Seillans
Coat of arms of Seillans
Seillans (France)
Seillans
region Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur
Department Var
Arrondissement Draguignan
Canton Roquebrune-sur-Argens
Community association Pays de Fayence
Coordinates 43 ° 38 ′  N , 6 ° 39 ′  E Coordinates: 43 ° 38 ′  N , 6 ° 39 ′  E
height 137-1,303 m
surface 88.66 km 2
Residents 2,669 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 30 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 83440
INSEE code 83124
Website seillans.fr

Seillans in the Var department

Seillans is a commune with 2,669 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the Var department in the region of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur . It belongs to the canton of Roquebrune-sur-Argens in the Arrondissement of Draguignan . Seillans has been included in the list of the most beautiful villages in France by the association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France .

Geography and history

Seillans lies close to the first elevations of a wooded ridge, 15 kilometers northeast of Draguignan . From there the view opens to the south over the lower valleys.

Seillans, Deux Rocs

The name of the place was first mentioned in 814 as Agro Ciliano , later in 1013 as Silonem . The name possibly comes from the Provencal word Seilhanso , which means oil pan , possibly also from the Latin proper name Caelius .

The first settlements date back to the 5th century BC when a small Celtic-Ligurian tribe, the “Sayllens”, built defensive structures on the hill there. This oppidum remained unaffected by the Greek colonization that later took place in the coastal region .

In the Gallo-Roman period , individual properties were built in the area of ​​the current village, which later became a settlement for Roman veterans . Traces of the Roman era include thermal baths in the village and in nearby Rapiamus, artifacts in Bégude, a funeral stele with an inscription in Notre-Dame-de-l'Ormeau and tombs at the Bastide des Saurins .

In 884 the place became a fiefdom of the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille, later the rule went partly to the Counts of Provence and in the 13th century to the Order of St. John . In the 9th and 13th centuries it was temporarily taken by the Saracens .

coat of arms

Description: A white rising crescent moon in red .

Personalities

  • Home of Bernard Pellicot, the builder of the Notre-Dame de la Garde fortress in Marseille
  • Home of the writer Colomb de Seillans, author of the comedy la Gageure du village , performed in 1706 in the presence of the king.
  • Home of the botanist Gaston Bonnier (1853–1922)
  • In 1888 Queen Victoria visited Seillans to meet the Viscountess de Savigny, the founder of the famous Seillans perfumery.
  • Other famous visitors included the journalist, writer and satirist Alphonse Karr , the French Marshal Hubert Lyautey and Princess Diana and the Duchess of York Sarah Margaret Ferguson , who stayed here on vacation in July 1996.
  • The American art historian Patrick Waldberg lived here since 1959.
  • The German painter Max Ernst visited Seillans regularly and settled there with his wife Dorothea Tanning for the last years of his life in 1964 . In addition to the tourist information office, the Maison Waldberg also houses a Max Ernst Museum. The bronze sculpture by Ernst on the edge of the Place de la Republique, Le Genie de la Bastille , was given to the city by Dorothea Tanning in 1994.
  • The Belgian cyclist and journalist Fred De Bruyne (1930–1994) spent the last years of his life in Seillans; a place was named in memory of him.

Attractions

Seillans, Le Valat

The entire medieval townscape of Seillans is worth seeing. In addition, the place offers numerous streets, squares and buildings worth seeing.

  • Porte Sarrasine
  • Font d'Amont fountain , also called Fontaine d'Amour .
  • Saint Leger Church
  • lock
  • Rue du Valat
  • Placette Font Jordany
  • Rue de la Boucherie
  • Notre Dame de L'Ormeau chapel

Cultural life

The two-week international music festival Musique Cordiale puts on classical concerts with young musicians every year.

Web links

Commons : Seillans  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Seillans on Les plus Beaux Villages de France (French)
  2. ↑ La collection Max ERNST- Dorothea TANNING , seillans.fr, accessed on April 15, 2018