Salernes

Salernes (called Salèrna in Of Provence traditional and Salerno in Of Provence of Standard mistralienne) is a common French, located in the department of the Var and the area Provence-Alp-Coast of Azure. Its inhabitants are the salernois.

Salernes is known for its Tomette S hexagonal.

Blasonnement

Of mouths, with a donjonné castle of three gold turns.

Geography

Salernes is with 22 kilometers in the west of Draguignan and with 9 kilometers in the south of Aups, near the confluence of the rivers of the Bresque and Directs it. The village is located in a depression surrounded by hills whose altitude varies between 300 and 400 meters.

Administration

Demography

History

Prehistory

As of the Paleolithic Higher (Aurignacien), approximately 35.000 years before our era, the man establishes his habitat in the basin of Salernes (Balsam of Bouissière and Baume of the Pine).
The Neolithic (5000-2000 av. J-C) also occupies an important place in this favorable ecological medium which according to R.Boyer and A. Taxil explains “the importance and the uninterrupted character of the prehistoric habitat”.
The cave of Fontbrégoua was occupied by the man during ten millenia, of 12000 up to 2000 before J-C.
With the Bronze Age, between 1800 and 750 av. J-C, in the valley a habitat of small huts settles (ceramic) to which succeeds the Âge of Iron a perched and strengthened habitat (oppidi celto-Ligurians of Gandelon, Cross-Solliès, of Bouissière and Mure).
The Roman occupation is attested by the presence of a dispersed habitat of plain (villa of Midsummer's Day and Notre-Dame de Pitié) and fragments of Roman brick tombs (district Saint-Wolf).

The Middle Ages with today

During the invasions sarrasines, the habitat gathers around the fortress seigneuriale, the site which it occupies toujours.
In XIe century, Salernes is possession of the Abbaye of Saint-Victor of Marseilles which in Villecroze a monastery bénédictin.
installed Athanulphe yields to the Marseilles abbey all its rights on the Midsummer's Day villa. In their turn, Vital and his Suzanne wife give two fields of which one is called " Long" camp; (Gandelon).
Pontevès are in XIIe century the first lords of the place. In 1189, the seigniory passes by marriage in the house of the Castellane. According to Garcin, Salernes would have been founded in XIVe century by Italian families which, coming from Salerno, city of the Royaume of Naples, were established in Provence following the queen Jeanne.
At that time the village is located on the road of the salt which the salt makers borrow since Hyères until the the Alps. The Saglietto abbot discovered close to the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre Source, with the district of Murres, the vestiges of Salernes. " Murres" were cisterns, which, filled of water and brine, allowed by evaporation the manufacture of salt.
In XVIe century, Honnorée with Castellane-Salernes marries Ange of Pontevès lord of Buoux. In 1626, their only daughter marries Louis de Galian, lord of Issarts in favor which the grounds of Salernes are set up in marquisat by letters patent of March 1653.
Of Agnel de Bourbon of Acigné are coseigneurs of Salernes and resident in the castle seigneurial. This castle was destroyed by a fire in 1676. Having thus lost his titles and his richness, François d' Agnel returns in 1755 in the earthenware workshop of Antoine Clérissy to Varages.
In 1769, the family of Issarts being itself extinct, the seigniory is sold to Louis de Gallifet.
The priests of Salernes were the first in France to be held of the parochial registers, of which oldest goes back to 1515.

History of the floor tile of Salernes

First steps of the ceramic activity

Salernes, village of the High VAr, is famous since the beginning of the XIXe century for its production of called hexagonal red tiling: “floor tile”. Originally, the village was based on an agricultural economics. One produced oil, wine, figs, corn, beans, melons and fishings. One also found silk spinning mills, factories of hats and cloths coarse.
As of the end of the XVIIIe century, the inhabitants of Salernes started to exploit the richness of the local resources to improve their standard of living of farmer. They started to produce earthenware as with Varages, but after the Revolution, the market of earthenware decreases gradually. Salernes is reconverted into manufacture by the terra cotta. Thus as from the years 1830, of tens of small workshops were created on the territory: manufacturing tiles, bricks, pipes, let us malons and of the utility potteries, for the local needs.
However, the exceptional quality of the clay layers of Salernes - ferruginous red clay - pushed the manufacturers of Salernes has to specialize in the manufacture of a mono-product: the malon hexagonal red: called floor tile.

1850: A prosperous activity, the “Floor tile of Salernes”

Since 1850, this activity became considerable extensive. More than one simple artisanal activity, ceramics very early becomes an marketing activity, spearhead of the economy of the country. To answer the external request increasingly more important, of new factories built themselves and the small workshops established that and there in Salernes, were increased. Thus the district of Romain Saint appears. The floor tile is a light material and of a great resistance which conquered the market of the building. With the expansion of constructions of the littoral, the orders of floor tiles abound. The factories of Salernes feed the stores of the traders of Toulon - Marseilles and Nice.
The products are exported in North Africa, South Africa, Italy, in America, they forward by the wearing of Toulon and Marseilles. One calls upon a foreign labor to ensure the production, the activity remains however seasonal.
The industry of the floor tile knew great periods of glory throughout the XIXe century. In spite of the economic crises, the wars, the competition of the foreign products, the ceramic activity was maintained until in the years 1950. It was thus transmitted from generation to generation, without one being able to note great changes.

1950: Towards a new rise

Since 1950, new products appear on the market: sandstone - terrazzo - linoleum. The latter are direct competitors of the floor tile.
After the second world war, the floor tile is used for the rebuilding of the houses: example the port of Toulon.
The floor tile remains an inexpensive product which one employs for constructions H.L.M. of the South of France and Africa of Nord.
One notes however that the floor tile aged, the consumer wants of new products. The decline of ceramic industry is announced, of the factories close.
From the years 1960, the ceramists adapted to the new market demands. Salernes invents the “rustic square” with the varied forms and colors. Clover - Moorishes - flowers of lily, floods the market.
Since 1970, the ceramic activity of Salernes takes new a essor.
Salernes does not produce only any more of the rough floor tiles. The ceramists introduce enamel and the decoration as well as the supports in enamelled lava. The square becomes an esthetic element and either a simple coating of protection.
Nowadays, 15 ceramists and 4 potters perpetuate the ceramic tradition with Salernes. The Commune, concerned of becoming economic of its city, is invested in a project of “House of Architectural Ceramics” TERRA ROSSA to promote the die tiling and art of the house. This structure will pay homage to the generations of ceramists who followed one another. It must become the key element to transmit the knowledge, to maintain and develop creation, the production, the communication.

Tourist monuments and places

Church Saint Pierre

Building of Romance style commonly dated from XIIIe century. It is equipped with a Romance bell-tower to transept crossing and with a companile of the XVIIe century. The external walls were raised and the covered roof of curved tiles. The central nave has a barrel vault broken with beams.
Northern side, the baptismal font is out of marble of Brignoles and a fabric of the XIXe century represents the baptism of Jesus. The furnace bridge of the rosary was carved in 1665 by Guarguébier de Moustiers. A Deposition, copies of a table of Rubens exposed to the cathedral of Antwerp is in the furnace bridge of the Sacred Heart.

Castle

There existed already in XIe century and there remains about it only of the ruins dominating the village. Its destruction would be due to a fire which has occurred in 1676 whereas he was inhabited by Joseph known as of Bourbon of Acigne.

Site of Saint Barthelemy

The legend known as: With the foot of the rocks, whose tops are made iridescent at the point of the day of the most tender colors and under the greenery the pretty source of Saint Barthelemy runs. At one extremely remote time where the nymphs of wood bathed in spring waters, the gods of then, jealous of their beauty and to defend the access to the mortals of them, the rocks crossed to peak. And when tempting knights came on the edges from the wave, the nymphs disappeared, plunging them in a deep distress. Taken pity for these unhappy human, the gods changed them into poplars. It has been for this day that trees grow on the banks.
A large shaded park with tables of picnic and spaces of relaxation is with the dispostion of the visitor. All along the small valley, of the caves offer an adventure playground for the children. The bottom of the throat is favourable with the development of a not very usual flora in the department which it is necessary to respect and protect.

External bond

Town hall of Salernes

Random links: