Beam-of-Provence

History

The defensive capacities of the Beams make some since always an attractive site for the human habitat. Traces of life were found and gone back to -6000. The place was used by the Celtes like a fort or a Oppidum around second century BC.

With the the Middle Ages, it became the fortified town of a feudal field controlling 79 cities and villages of the neighborhoods. The fortress was built, on vast extended from seven hectares. The princes of Baux controlled the Provence during many years and gained a strong reputation there. They said to go down from the king-magus Balthazar, adding to their armorial bearings, a star of money with sixteen branches, to point out that which, according to the Gospel, guided the three kings towards Bethlehem; and their currency was “ Randomly, Balthazar ”.

to also *Voir: List of the lords of the Beams

Place- strong medieval located at the borders of the Languedoc, the Comtat Venaissin and the Provence, the fortress knew an animated military history and was the subject of many attacks. The solid keep which dominates still today points out the importance of this castle, object of all covetousnesses, at the time of the medieval time.

At the 12th century the princes of the Beams had to subject at the conclusion of the baussenques Guerres. The large castle started to be famous for its strongly cultivated and chivalrous court. The field dies out finally at the 15th century with died of the last princess of the Beams.

The Beams, as well as Provence, are then attached to the crown of France under the cane of the family Manville. The village became a center of the Protestantisme and tried even a revolt against the crown what brought, in 1632, the cardinal of Richelieu to be ordered that the castle and its walls are shaven.

In 1642, the city was offered to the family Grimaldi as a Marquisat. The title of marquis of the Beams their is still attached besides. Administratively, the city is entirely French and marquis of the Beams titrates it is traditionally given to the heir to the throne Monegasque. Current prince de Monaco, Albert II, carries among his many titles that of marquis of the Beams.

In 1822 of the Bauxite is discovered in the sector by the geologist Pierre Berthier. The ore is then intensely exploited until exhaustion at the end of the 20th century.

Beams nowadays

Tourism

The Beams are today a tourist site proposing its reputation to be one of the more beautiful village of France. The houses of the village raise their pink Roman tiled roofs or gray-pinks, pink-salmon or beiges, and the white old stone mixes with the green Mediterranean vegetation, forming seizing contrasts.

The green of the vegetation, the gray and the white of the stones limestones, the intense blue of the luminous sky of Provence, the variations of pinks of the roofs form a splendid camaieu of colors and beauty.

Many artists were allured by this place, among which the painters Mario Prassinos and Yves Brayer, of which the museum bears the name, the engraver Louis Jou, who bequeathed to the commune a collection of rare books or Anti Lemarin. In Valley-to Enfer, Jean Cocteau made his film “ the Will of Orphée ”.

The antique quoted of the Beams is not any more however that the shade of itself, the ancient city is entirely reserved for tourism today. The number of inhabitants still living in the old borough - the high part of the village - is not any more that of 22 inhabitants, and less than 450 inhabitants for all the commune, whereas there was in a remote past a peak with approximately 4 000 Baussencs.

The commune is served by:

Autoroute has 7 (exit n°25) and secondary road RD 99
Autoroute has 54 (exit n°12) and secondary road RD 27
Gare of Arles (17 km) and parks Avignon TGV (28 km)
Aéroport of Avignon-Caumont, airport of Marignane.

Monuments and sites

Common the account 22 historic buildings, but the majority of the buildings which compose the castle are today with the state of ruins. It is necessary to come apart from the large tourist days or to sleep on the spot to really appreciate this place with the calm one.

Castle of the Beams and its ramparts, property of the commune of the Beams;
Museum of the castle of the Beams located in old the Hotel of the tower of Brau, a beautiful building of the 15th century, recalling the history of Beam-of-Provence. This museum has had for summer replaced by a shop, it remains about it only one model of the castle at the time of the Middle Ages.
reconstituted Machines of war: several precision balances, a Triggerfish and a ram.

Since April 1st, 2007, three new catapults able to carry out shootings joined them: largest Precision balance of France (16 meters in height), a arranges and a couillard. These three machines carry out demonstrations of shootings the every day with genuine projectiles.

the old vault Holy-Catherine;
the old Romance vault Saint-Blaise, raised by the corporation of the tisserands and the carders in the honor of their owner; this one, dating from the 12th century, becomes at the 18th century sits of their brotherhood.
Saint-Vincent Church of the Beams, 12th century-16th century, partly dug in the rock; it gives on a planted place of Orme S and Micocoulier S;
Hotel of Manville: The Hotel of Manville (current town hall since 1960), is undoubtedly worthiest of these residences and one of best restored. The building was built in 1571 by Flayelle, architect of Vivarais for the account of Claude II of Manville. It is the nephew of Claude Ier de Manville resulting from a Toulouse family, captain of the royal galères, knight of the Holy Sepulchre; appointed then captain viguier of the Beams. This property at summer offered by the prince Bianchi de Médicis de Manville to the municipality to accommodate the town hall.

Vis-a-vis the Town hall, draws up the window " post will tenebras lux" : It belongs to the first style of the French rebirth in Provence. The bay into cross is composed of a mullion and a profiled cross-piece, of each with dimensions of the grooved pilasters. Above an entablature the inscription post carries will tenebras lux 1571 (after darkness the light), currency calvinist of the reform of Geneva resulting from the book of Job (House of worship of reformed), this house was the property of Brisson Peyre (or Jean de Manville), plowman, in 1571, was yielded in 1584 to Charles Laugier, Lieutenant of Viguier of the Beams. House of Claude II, his wife is buried in Saint-Vincent.

Door Eyguières, carries water, single door charretière of the village
Hôtel Of the Piglets, with the elegant frontage of the 16th century, sheltering today the museum Yves-Truss.

Economy

The economic life of the Beams is based on dependant tourism:

with the Roman ruins and the fortress;
with the culture of the vine;
with a small craft industry and some trade.

Products of the soil

Olive S “broken” with the wild Fennel (speciality of the Valley of the Beams)
Wine of the Beams
Olive oil

Vineyard of the Beams

The wine of the Beams constitutes a AOC (name of controlled origin). The vineyard is planted on the slopes staging itself with the foot of the Alpilles. They give a wine which was already appreciated Romain S. Those preserved it in kinds of amphoras, the dolia , of which largest could contain more than thousand liters. Have can still see some in the area of them.

The vineyard produces today red wines and rosy, quite constructed and agreeably fruity wines.

Equipment

Culture and events

the “cathedral of Images” is a permanent spectacle, created in 1977, at the time which great luminous images on the stone walls are projected of some of the immense galleries dug in the rock of Valley-in Enfer, on the road of Maillane. The surface of the walls thus transformed extends on 4.000 m ². Each year is proposed a different topic.
“Christmas with the Beams” of the Saint-Vincent church of the Beams takes place the evening of Christmas, during the Midnight mass. It is initially a alive Crèche, in front of which is held the “pastarage” , a ritual developed in the world pastoral and going up at the 16th century. This traditional ceremony, abandoned during the 19th century, was taken again and played since 1902: a cart drawn by a ram, decorated with foliage and candles, brings a new-born lamb. Each shepherd, in turn, kisses the feet of the Jesus child, then passes the lamb of arm in arm before giving it in offering.

Turnings

Ronin , film américano-British carried out by John Frankenheimer in 1998.
The Amazing Race , American series carried out by Elects Doganieri and Bert Van Munster in 2001 (episode 3).

Images

External bonds

Site of the village
Site of the castle
Ten centuries of history more in detail
Cathedral of Images (official site)

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