Villecroze

Villecroze
region	Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur
Department	Var
Arrondissement	Brignoles
Canton	Flayosc
Community association	Lacs et Gorges du Verdon
Coordinates	43 ° 35 '  N , 6 ° 17'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 35 '  N , 6 ° 17'  E
height	224-520 m
surface	20.68 km 2
Residents	1,463 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	71 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	83690
INSEE code	83149
Mairie Villecroze

Villecroze ( Provence Vilacroza or Vilocrozo ) is a commune with 1,463 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the Var department in the region of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur . It belongs to the canton of Flayosc in the Arrondissement of Brignoles .

geography

Villecroze is located 22 kilometers north-west of Draguignan , 20 kilometers south of the Verdon Gorge and seven kilometers south-east of Aups at an average altitude of 350 m on the southern foothills of the Alpes de Provence. The foothills in the north of the village, wooded with holm oaks and pines, protect Villecroze from the effects of the mistral .

The place is known for its tuff cliffs, which are criss-crossed by numerous stalactite caves with halls up to 7 m high and an underground lake.

population

Number of inhabitants

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2008	2017
Residents	617	637	700	867	1,029	1,087	1.105	1,463

history

In several places in the area, Neolithic finds prove a settlement in prehistoric times. In Gallo-Roman times there was a settlement further down the plain on the course of the Via Julia from Fréjus to Riez . There a veteran of the Roman Legion built a villa in a depression, which was destroyed during the Saracen storm.

In the 11th century, Villecroze was under the rule of the Castellane family and the Saint-Victor Abbey in Marseille, who established a Benedictine monastery here. Around the time from 1150 to 1155, the lords of Salernes , Entrecasteaux , Tourtour and Flayosc handed over the goods Ruou , Salgues and Salguettes to the Templar order . In Ruou a Templar Coming came into being, which in 1195 included 14 friars. The goods of the order finally fell to the Maltese , who shared local rule with the Castellane family until the French Revolution .

Culture and sights

The old town center of Villecroze, towered over by the campanile on the former castle tower, has retained its medieval character with its narrow streets and arcades.

The current parish church of Notre-Dame-de-Pitié was built in the 18th century. The former Romanesque parish church of the same name, surrounded by a cemetery, was built in the 10th century and renovated in the 13th century. As Inscrit Monument Historique, it is under special monument protection.

In the Saint-Victor chapel from the 12th century, also rated Inscrit Monument Historique, concerts of the international music academy founded by the patron Anne Gruner Schlumberger (1904–1993), a daughter of Conrad Schlumberger , take place every year all over the world.