Beausset

Beausset is a common French, located close to Toulon in the department of the Var in area Provence-Alp-Coast of Azure. Its inhabitants are called the inhabitants " Beaussetans".

History

Etymology and denominations

Beausset was called formerly Baucet and also Bausset. The true origin is not given. Latin (Baus)? (or of the membership of the ground of the Princes de Baux? or of the Of Provence (baou)? , several explanations thus remain plausible.

Occupation of the site

Eminence called today the Beausset-Old man carries traces of successive occupations, proablement by the Ligures then by the Phocéens of Tauroentum (Brusc), and then the Romains. Platform at the top of an escarpment, the Beausset-Old man controlled the principal terrestrial way between Marseilles and Toulon at a particularly narrow place, the road passing between the foot of the escarpment and the plain of Beausset, then very mainly marshy. So Beausset was integrated in the series of the check-points of this road, with Castellet upstream, Évenos and Ollioules downstream.

This site remained the principal center of establishment until XVe century, where the progressive draining of the plain and the retreat of the external threats made it possible the habitat to go down on a nipple which constitutes the current downtown area. The site of the Beausset-Old man was abandoned in 1506.

Blasonnement

Of azure, with a gold Blessed Virgin, constant of a crescent of money, and the head surrounded by seven stars of same. One can see a description of the blazon here.

Administration

Mayors of Beausset since the French revolution:

Personalities related to the commune

Jean Etienne Marie Portalis, politician
Jean Gavot, historian of the traditions of Provence
Yannick Dalmas, racing driver
Patrice Eyraud, professional football player

Curiosities

The Beausset-Old man

Only vestige of the old site of the village is the hermitage of the Beausset-Old man a Romance vault of XIIe century which constitutes the destination of an always active regional pilgrimage. An old tradition allots to Notre-Dame of Beausset-Vieuxune great effectiveness in the cure of disease or protection in the event of accident. This tradition gave rise to a gallery of more than 80 Ex-voto , of which oldest date from the XVIIIe century. The ex-votos of the Beausset-Old man constitute an interesting testimony of Na5ive art and popular Art.

Doll's house

House and not museum, this establishment proposes an interesting collection of headstocks out of porcelain and the met in scene. Moreover, the Doll's house is recognized nationally by the know-how of its restorers and craftsmen.

The Dalmas house

Located street Pasteur at Beausset, the Dalmas house accommodated Napoleon Bonaparte whereas he was only captain. It remained there 1 month, during the year 1793, during Siège of Toulon.

Oratories

Small religious buildings dedicated to a saint or holy, the oratories of Beausset are particularly numerous and the commune counts some nearly a hundred. Placed of length of the old ways, they are in states of very variable conservation or restoration, some having been integrated in walls, others on the contrary in a state of quasi-ruin. They traditionally sheltered a statue of saint or the holy one, but of the repeated flights of the statuettes, often of the plasters without much value, led to their replacement by plane effigies sealed in the oratory. There exists in Beausset a way, called: the way of the oratories which carry out since Beausset, to the vault of Beausset Vieux, and which constitutes still today the ascencion towards this place of pilgrimage.

The old seat of the Directory

During the period of the Directory, Beausset accommodated the offices of the republican admistration from September 15th, 1793 to March 5th, 1795. This place this locates street of the Republic at Beausset in what was formerly a private mansion.

References

Official site of the municipality
History of the village of Beausset

Other external bonds

Tourist bureau of Beausset

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