Not far from Nice, literally 20 km to the west, among the green hills covered with dense pine forests, is one of the most picturesque and charming towns of Provence - St. Paul de Vence. In this town, everything pleases the eye, everything delights, everything surprises - both the massive fortress walls framing the city, and the medieval buildings built of local stone that create a unique color, and numerous art galleries located in this ancient splendor, representing, it seems, the entire palette of artistic creativity. . The city - a fortress, the city of craftsmen, the city of artists and artists, Saint Paul is known far beyond the borders of France as unique place where, under a piercing blue sky, the generous nature of the south of France, its history and art come together.
The town arose in the 11th century as a small fortress near the sea coast, then in the 16th century, during the reign of King Francis the First, it was surrounded by a solid fortress wall and turned into a southern outpost of the French Kingdom.
After the annexation of Nice to France in 1860, it lost its strategic importance as a royal fortress and turned into a pleasant place away from the hustle and bustle of the coast, favorite place rest and inspiration of the artistic elite of Europe. At the beginning of the last century, such unique masters as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Chaim Soutine, Georges Braque, Juan Miro, Paul Signac, Amedeo Madiliani, Maurice Utrillo, Pierre Bonnard, Fernand Léger lived and worked here……
Among the modern masters who have adorned the city are Theo Tobias, Guliano Mancini, Luc Trozen, Rémi Pesca and Michel Folon, and poets such as Jacques Prevert and Andre Verde sang about him. World famous writers - Simone de Beauvoir, Colette, André Gide, Jean Paul Sartre, Paul Valery and many others lived here for a long time, enjoying the local hospitality and drawing their inspiration in a peaceful atmosphere.
In the post-war period, the town was chosen by the cinematic elite of France, the narrow medieval streets were known by Yves Montand and Simone Signoret, Ariel Dombasle and Bernard Levy, Lino Ventura, Fernandel, Gerard Philippe and many others who fell under the spell of this amazing place.
But among the recognized geniuses of world art, there is one whose life and fate are forever intertwined with St. Paul de Vence. This is Marc Chagall.
Chagall fell in love with the Cote d'Azur of France during his first visits to the coast after his final emigration to Europe. "Je remercie le destin de m'avoir conduit sur les bords de la Méditerrané" - "I thank the fate that brought me to this coast," he wrote. In the post-war period, he was a frequent visitor to the south of France, lived for a long time in Vence and Nice, but already in 1966 he finally moved to St. Paul de Vence, where he built the villa "La Colline" on a hillside near the entrance to the city. A small stone-paved path leads from the villa to the fortress walls of St. Paul, along which Chagall walked to the town almost daily, enjoying the stunning panorama of both the fortress itself and the opening sea coast. Often, wanting to capture the landscape he liked, the purity and transparency of the air surrounding its enchanting atmosphere, he stopped right on the path and painted, painted ... This is how a unique series of paintings arose, which can probably be called “Views of St. Paul”.
Chagall is, first of all, colors, the most incredible, bright, unexpected, a real riot of colors. I love to look at these amazingly colorful paintings, in which, through the captured landscape, love flows clearly and tangibly, the artist’s love for his beloved, the enchanting southern sky, for life ... These paintings are like a dream, a fabulous dream, magical and unique ...
And the more pleasure it is to walk along this path in search of places from where the master wrote his masterpieces.
It is best to walk in the footsteps of Chagall in the spring, in April or May, when acacias, wisteria and orange trees bloom wildly around, filling the air with a heady aroma ... The path winds between the trees and the stone walls of old Provencal houses, winding, going down and up the hillside. After the next turn, you suddenly come to a point from which a charming and somewhat familiar view of St. Paul opens - well, of course, it was here that Chagall wrote his "Lovers over St. Paul"!
The municipality of the town put up reproductions of Chagall's paintings in some places two years ago, so now you can even compare the painting and the original.
All the first floors of this amazing fortress town have been turned into art galleries, boutiques, shops with souvenirs and local gastronomic products. The most interesting thing is that here, along with high art and the works of recognized masters, one can see both frankly primitive and timid attempts by emerging artists to present their works for review. Paintings, oil, watercolor, graphics, sculptures, bronze, glass, crystal, lithographs by well-known and recognized artists, exhibited behind the windows, all mixed into a single colorful, colorful and attractive canvas.
Expositions are constantly updated, old workshops are closed, but new and interesting names appear. The level of some galleries is amazing - Dali's sculptural compositions are exhibited in a small showcase, yes, these are the originals, yes, they are for sale, although the price bites. The hostess with a laugh suggests buying as soon as possible, since in a couple of weeks everything will be sorted out. One word - crisis...
And the street runs further and leads straight to a small municipal cemetery, hidden behind the trunks of impressive centuries-old plane trees. It was here, having lived in St. Paul for almost 20 years, that our compatriot, the great artist Marc Chagall, rested and sleeps forever. His grave is surprisingly modest, on a marble slab, decorated with barely distinguishable angel wings, dates of life - 1887 -1985. He did not quite live up to his century, retaining his amazing creative activity and love of life until his last days. Next to him lies his last muse, his second legal wife, Valentina Brodskaya, better known as Vava Chagall. This is her image flying over St. Paul, the artist captured on his canvases. Or maybe it depicts his first lover, Bella Chagall, who died so tragically and suddenly in 1944 in America? Now no one will ever know...
Immediately from the cemetery, a narrow path, winding and bending around the fortress walls, leads to a small hill with an abandoned, blackened wooden bench from time to time. Silence, no one, only a bee buzzes quietly, flying from flower to flower, but from afar comes bell ringing. Suddenly, the ear picks up a familiar melody from these sounds - “Moscow Nights”.
Dream? Have we quietly fallen asleep on this magic bench?
The singing is getting louder, it comes from the house in the valley, surrounded by cherry blossoms. The discordant choir diligently brings out everyone's favorite song and we, no longer surprised by anything, mindlessly soar, enjoying the light breeze, the smell of irises and acacias, somewhere between heaven and earth, in the clouds, above the incomparable enchanting San Pol.
Those wishing to walk in the footsteps of the great artists of the Côte d'Azur - a rendezvous on the website www.guides-azur.org
Saint-Paul-de-Vence is one of the the most beautiful places Provence (France) - was erected on a rocky hill and tightly surrounded by a fortress wall under Francis I. natural beauty and romantic spirit medieval fortress attracted famous writers and artists who spread the fame of the Provencal town.
Resting on the Cote d'Azur of France, it's a sin not to see the sights in the area.
I want to talk about our trip to Saint-Paul-de-Vence. This is a tiny town nestled in a medieval fortress on one of the peaks of the Alpes-Maritimes.
Saint-Paul on the map of France - an hour's drive from Nice
Distance from Nice, where we lived, 18 km in a straight line. Bus number 400 runs from the bus station to Saint-Paul-de-Vence, making several stops along the way. The bus ride is about an hour.
Sights from the "Golden Dove" to the present day
I saw a lot of such "medieval" towns and fortified states, such as, for example, San Marino or Monaco, while in France, to lose interest in them.
Friends persuaded me to go to Saint-Paul-de-Vence, with whom I spent time on the Cote d'Azur.
I had to agree. The day before in Monaco, I twisted my leg, fell and could barely walk. The prospect of limping alone in Nice or toddling on the wet pebbles of the beach was not inspiring. Decided sightseeing wasn't a bad alternative to staying in a hotel. In addition, the city is small, you do not need to move much. They promised to carry me in turn 🙂
On the advice of "experienced" moved out of the hotel early in the morning. They say that in the lunch area there is an influx of tourists and the narrow streets are not overcrowded.
Having taken the first steps in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, I was glad that I did not stay in Nice.
Narrow old streets
From the observation platforms, amazing views of the valleys of Provence and the Alpes-Maritimes opened up, everything seemed literally imbued with the spirit of creativity.
Pigeon alive 😉
Saint-Paul-de-Vence differed from similar "medieval" cities in France in that monuments, workshops, installations, mosaics and other art objects were found everywhere.
A horse that is tempting to ride. The inscription forbids)
Cat of Italian origin, the creation of Giuliano Mancini. In the background is La Petite Chapelle restaurant.
There is also a popular museum of modern art.
The city gained fame in the 1920s. of the last century - in a local hotel "Golden Dove"(La Colombe D'Or) Parisian artists began to spend their time. They often paid for housing with their work. Now the hotel keeps a rich collection of originals by famous authors.
After the artists, people of art - actors, writers, poets - came here en masse.
famous hotel
Of the famous names who visited Saint-Paul-de-Vence: Catherine Deneuve, Yves Montand, Greta Garbo, Brigitte Bardot. Simone Signoret and Yves Montand arranged a wedding in de Vence.
He loved this place and lived in it until his death, Marc Chagall. His grave is located at the local cemetery - another attraction.
Burial place of Marc Chagall
It was shocking that Russian tourists were photographed against the backdrop of the grave, taking seductive poses. We tried to explain that it was disrespectful, but after another wave of women, we resigned ourselves to failure and left, unable to withstand the pressure of the elements of Russian tourism.
Provencal pancakes
There are many cafes and restaurants in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. We were hungry, but all the time we found new sights to see and capture in a memorable photo. Starving completely, went to choose a restaurant. There were many of them near the gates to the city.
On the way we came across a place where they fried and sold inexpensive pancakes. Especially liked the pancakes (crêpes) with lemon jam (citron). We ate so many of them that we no longer wanted to look for another cafe. I got the hang of ordering them in French for our entire company:
Bonjour Madame. S'il vous plaît six (6) crêpes au citron. Mercy beaucoup.
The "amateur photographers" I met right there from the cemetery looked at me with envy, pointing at the menu. What they didn't know was that it was almost all of my French vocabulary, except for 'Je ne mange pa sis jour'.
We did not try to convince them, and having bought souvenirs, we went back, proud of our knowledge of languages and the defense of the cemetery.
We will be pleased if you share with your friends:Saint-Paul-de-Vence, located 15 minutes from the coast, was once a refuge from Saracen raids. Today, the well-preserved city walls, built by order of Francis I in the 16th century, give a pleasant medieval atmosphere.
From there, there are wonderful views of the sea, landscapes of olive and cypress trees and villas with red roofs.
The surrounding countryside and Mediterranean climate allowed the medieval walled city to flourish thanks to orange, fig trees, olives and grapes. And now tourism brings many visitors to this beautiful place. The town is one of the most famous and still beautiful fortified city-fortress on the French Riviera.
Town for artists and movie stars
Saint-Paul-de-Vence fell into disrepair after the 17th century. He attracted artists here with his magnificent panoramas in an unsurpassed quality of light. Modigliani, Soutine, Andre Derain, Henri Le Sidane, Paul Signac, Marc Chagall were inspired here.
Famous movie stars began to visit the city from the 1940s. Major French and international film producers have used Saint-Paul-de-Vence as a backdrop for films. For example, the 1965 film Moment by Moment starring Jean Seberg, Honor Blackman and the 2004 film The Big Kiss starring Billy Zane were filmed in some iconic places Saint-Paul-de-Vence, including the Café de la Place and Place de la Grande Fontaine.
Artistic Attractions
Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a fabulous place with many artistic attractions, with over 30 artists' studios and art galleries interspersed along the cobbled streets.
Golden Dove Hotel and Restaurant (La Colombe d’Or)
In the 1920s, there was a hotel in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, today called the "Golden Dove". When poor artists began to visit the village, they stayed at this hotel and paid for food and lodging with their work.
Now the hotel is the owner of the works of such world famous artists as Utrillo, Vlaminck, Dufy, Bonnard, Soutine, Picasso, Modigliani, Cocteau, Chagall. As a result, both the village itself and the Golden Dove Hotel have become a cult destination for fine art aficionados.
Today, the Golden Dove Hotel restaurant is a favorite haunt of celebrities. Here you can enjoy traditional dishes and paintings by famous artists.
In the museum local history(Musée d'Historie Locale) there are old photographs of movie stars who visited the hotel-restaurant "Golden Dove" - Sophia Loren, Catherine Deneuve and Greta Garbo. Restaurant reservations must be made in advance, especially during peak season.
Foundation Maeght
Designed by Spanish architect Josep Lluís Sert, the Mag Foundation opened in 1964. The striking building is framed by magnificent landscapes and surrounded by gardens, ponds and Mediterranean trees.
The Magic Foundation was founded by Margarita and Aimé Mag. They had an extensive collection of over 9,000 works of art, and in addition received in their museum of modern art and sculpture many priceless works of artists and sculptors, including Bonnard, Giacometti, Léger, Miro and Chagall's popular works - "Life" ("La Vie ”) and “Lovers” (“Les Amoureux”).
The museum's permanent collection includes garden sculptures, indoor galleries, and temporary exhibitions during the summer. Artists who provided their works for the museum's exhibitions also contributed to the decoration of the building - Paul Bury's fountain, Miro's ceramic tiles, stained glass windows of Braque and Hubac and Chagall's mosaics.
Tip: If you plan to visit the many attractions on the French Riviera, purchase the Côte d'Azur Card to save on entry fees for activities and attractions.
The card can be purchased online or in regional tourist offices. With this card, you will also have free admission to the best attractions of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, including the Fondation Mag, the Folon Chapel and the Museum of Local History.
Folon Chapel
The 17th-century Chapel of the Confraternity of the White Penitents in Saint-Paul de Vence has walls and ceilings decorated with paintings by the Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon and is sometimes referred to as the Folon Chapel. The chapel boasts sculptures and flamboyant pastel mosaic paintings by Folon. Folon, who has been associated with Saint-Paul-de-Vence for over 30 years, worked very closely with local artisans.
Cemetery Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Marc Chagall
The artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) settled in Saint-Paul-de-Vence in 1966 and built the villa "La Colline" there. He also stayed at the charming Hôtel Le Hameau near Saint-Paul-de-Vence. This is a hotel with antique Provencal furniture and fabulous views of the city and the surrounding countryside.
Chagall died in 1985, and was buried in the Saint-Paul-de-Vence cemetery, which is located at the far end of the city opposite the South Gate (Porte Sud). Like other Jewish graves, his grave has small stones placed on it by visitors.
Galleries and artists' studios
Whether you're looking for contemporary sculptures, breathtaking landscapes, or abstract sketches, you're sure to find something special to buy and take home with you. You can find craft shops, art galleries and artists' workshops in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, which are open every day of the year, including Sundays and holidays which is rare on the French Riviera.
Other points of interest
The Café de la Place is a famous café in Saint-Paul-de-Vence where you can stop during the warmer months, have a glass of rosé, watch a game of petanque played under shady plane trees.
Great Fountain Square (Place de la Grande Fontaine)
Located along the Rue Grande (la rue Grande - the main street of Saint-Paul-de-Vence), this square has always been busy - in the 17th century, the townspeople brought their mules to give them water to drink. Nearby, in a stone washbasin, local laundresses washed clothes. The urn-shaped Provencal fountain is considered one of the most photographed objects in the city. Restaurant La Fontaine is a lovely restaurant with a beautiful terrace overlooking the fountain and is the perfect shady spot for a glass of wine or coffee.
Hotel Restaurant Le Saint-Paul
The restaurant at the five-star hotel Le Saint Paul is a pleasant escape from the tourists treading the stone streets of Saint-Paul-de-Vence. It serves light Mediterranean cuisine. The dining room features a 17th-century fountain. On the south side there is a terrace with flowers where you can dine al fresco.
Malabar Restaurant
Cozy restaurant located on the western slopes of Saint-Paul-de-Vence. You can choose from a menu of flavorful dishes, including tapas or ricotta. Open from Thursday to Tuesday. This is one of the best places in Saint-Paul-de-Vence with breathtaking views from the outside terrace, although there is room for only two outside tables.
How to get to Saint-Paul-de-Vence
By car:
Saint-Paul-de-Vence is popular place excursions for guests of a charter yacht moored in Cannes, Antibes, Nice or Monaco.
From Cannes or Antibes, take the A8 motorway - exit 47 (Villeneuve Loubet, Cagnes sur Mer, Vence) or from Nice / Monaco / Italy, take the A8 motorway - exit 48. Follow the signs for "La Colle sur Loup / Vence": RD436 . Saint Paul de Vence is located between La Colle sur Loup and Vence, 15 minutes from the motorway.
By public transport:
Saint-Paul-de-Vence can be reached from Nice by bus number 400, which passes through Saint-Paul-de-Vence and then goes to the city of Vence, the trip takes about 1 hour.
By train:
not near the village railway station. The nearest train station is Cagnes-sur-Mer, from where you can take bus number 400.
To discuss renting either or Monaco, contact Cofrance.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a medieval fortified village, which, thanks to its famous guests and inhabitants, has become a living art gallery and the Mecca of Côte d'Azur art dealers. Walking along the narrow picturesque streets of the village, from the Royal to the South Gate along the Grand pedestrian street, you will find magnificent stone facades of the 16th-18th centuries with artfully decorated portals of window openings and doors, private well-kept gardens, miniature medieval squares with ancient fountains and soaring into the sky , whitewashed walls of chapels. And, of course, you will discover many craft shops, artistic ateliers where you can meet local artists, and art galleries of the high level. It sells the works of the most famous artists and sculptors of the 20th century, who in one way or another connected their lives with Nice and with this secluded corner of the French Riviera.
How to get to Saint-Paul-de-Vence
The village is located on a picturesque mountain top 20 km from Nice. You can get here by car or bus from Nice (Gare Routiere, direction to Vence, 3 EUR, 55 min.). Buses run every 40-60 minutes, so it's better to check the flight schedule in advance. On the way back, you can pay for the ticket with the driver.
Prices on the page are for August 2018.
Search for flights to Nice (nearest airport to Saint-Paul-de-Vence)
A bit of history
Saint-Paul-de-Vence arose at the turn of the 8th century, as a fortified refuge ("stone nest"), who fled from the Saracens, the inhabitants of the coast. In 1538, by order of Francis I, this outpost was surrounded by a fortress wall. The village was not much different in architecture and local way of life from many neighboring settlements and could have remained only a “nice cozy outpost” near the Riviera, but in the 20s of the 20th century this place, perhaps due to picturesque landscapes and panoramas, chosen by artists from Paris: Signac, Bonnard, Utrillo, Modigliani and others.
They stayed at the Golden Dove Hotel (La Colombe D'Or), often paying for food and shelter with their work. The owner of the hotel, Paul Rouault, definitely did not lose: now the hotel is the owner of an impressive collection of works by such world-famous artists as Utrillo, Vlaminck, Dufy, Bonnard, Soutine, Picasso, Modigliani, Cocteau and Chagall. These paintings are quietly hung throughout the hotel, including in the rooms, and are already an integral part of the unique artistic atmosphere of the Golden Dove. So the hotel and the village itself turned into a cult corner for fans of fine arts.
In the 50s, the charm of the artistic world of Saint-Paul-de-Vence attracted famous film actors, writers and intellectuals here. So Brigitte Bardot, Greta Garbo, Sophia Loren, Burt Lancaster, Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir began to visit the Golden Dove. Here, Yves Montand and Simone Signoret met and celebrated their wedding, who bought a legendary hotel and restaurant a few years later. In Saint-Paul-de-Vence held their last years life of Marc Chagall and the author of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" David Herbert Lawrence.
In Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the legendary restaurant of the Golden Dove Hotel still welcomes guests, but the popularity of this place on the Cote d'Azur is so high that you need to book a table literally a month in advance. But without a prior arrangement, you can get into the wonderful shawl "Cockade". This unpretentious place in terms of interior professes the values of organic cuisine: dishes are prepared exclusively from bio-products of local origin. The menu is short - only one page, but each dish - if not a poem, then at least blank verse. Be sure to try the ravioli stuffed with basil and garlic, a dozen large snails and a bottle of homemade rose wine. The average check is 30-35 EUR.
Popular hotels in Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Rosary Chapel by Henri Matisse
One of the most striking architectural sights of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is the snow-white Chapel of the Rosary, built and decorated in the middle of the 20th century according to the designs and sketches of Henri Matisse.
After a difficult operation suffered by the artist in 1941 at the Lyon Clinic, Matisse was cared for by a Dominican nun named Marie-Ange. Of Matisse, she later said that she "never saw a more courageous, even heroic, or more delicate patient." The artist, in turn, confessed to her that he would like to create a project for the chapel as a token of gratitude. According to Marie-Ange, he filled many sheets of large albums with architectural sketches, sketches of painting, stained glass and sculpture, and even church vestments. Little by little, the contours of the future church began to appear on paper, returning the master's vitality and desire for creativity.
After some time, the artist returned to the Regina Hotel in Nice, where he had settled since 1938, and the nurse Monique Bourgeois began to look after him, who, after taking tonsure in the Dominican monastery in Vence, introduced Matisse to the priest Pierre Couturier, "a man inspired and true reformer of ecclesiastical art." Thus, a miniature chapel was born with minimalistically modest decoration and an extravaganza of colors and sunlight on stained-glass windows and wall mosaics.
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Mahe Foundation Museum
One of the most famous and beautiful small museums in the world, a temple of 20th century art, which was opened in 1964 by the Parisian publisher, collector and major art dealer Aime Mahe in a beautiful pine grove half a kilometer from Saint-Paul-de-Vence. The exposition of the fund includes paintings by Bonnard, Braque, Matisse, Chagall, Kandinsky, Léger, sculptures and mosaics by Miro, Arp, Calder, Giacometti.
The museum is remarkable not only for its unique collection of the best works of fine and plastic art of the 20th century, but also for its curious architecture by the Catalan José Luis Sert. Friends and "artistic advisers" of the collector took part in the design of the museum complex: the glass mosaics restored in the neighborhood, the chapel and the fountain in the sculpture garden were created by Braque, the furniture design in a small garden cafe was developed by Giacometti, and Chagall made a wall mosaic panel for the main building of the foundation .
A special find of the sculpture garden was viewing platforms, allowing you to simultaneously enjoy the surrounding panorama and works of art. And the local library with over 30,000 volumes on contemporary art is open to the public.
The entrance ticket to the museum will cost 16 EUR, a reduced ticket for group visits (from 10 people), students and teenagers from 10 to 18 years old - 11 EUR. 5 EUR will have to be added for the possibility of taking pictures. More detailed information on the museum website.
Another real treasure of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is the chapel of the Brotherhood of White Penitents (Chapelle des Pénitiens Blancs), dating from the 15th-16th centuries. The unique frescoes of Giovanni Canavesio, one of the best representatives of the little-studied school of the “primitives of Nice”, have been preserved here.
Brotherhoods of multicolored penitents - black, white, green, red, brown - arose in Genoa in the 14th century. A century later, they appeared on the French coast and in the cities of Provence. Brotherhoods united Catholic parishioners who took on the responsibility of caring for the sick, burying the dead, and providing hospitality to pilgrims and the homeless. Members of the brotherhood recognized each other by the color of their clothes. The brotherhood of black penitents united mainly sailors and fishermen, and whites - farmers. Associations of these ascetics have survived on the Cote d'Azur to this day, although today they are very few in number.
In the neighborhood of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is the picturesque Provencal town of La Colle-sur-Loup, which is known on the French coast for its perfume compositions from the "May rose" and the quarter of antique dealers and artists near the street Klein.
Conducted by Ekaterina Istomina
On March 28, 1985, Marc Chagall, who sincerely loved this small town, died in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. At the beginning of the 20th century, Leger, Miro, Matisse, Picasso and Braque lived here. In 2003, an exhibition of the Russian avant-garde was held here, and, as Liberation wrote at the time, "it featured 150 paintings by the largest representatives of the Russian avant-garde from 1908 to 1930." But do not think that St. Paul de Vence is some kind of luxurious artistic place.
The town of Saint-Paul de Vence, often called a village, is located in a triangle between Grasse, Cannes and Nice, in the depths of the French Riviera, from the sea - 30 minutes by car (15 minutes from Cote d airport `Azure). This is a true provincial hole, little one medieval city, which, having survived to this day, very wisely did not want to change - there are cafes of the 16th century, ceramic workshops and souvenir shops of the 15th century, cars are not allowed here. Saint-Paul-de-Vence is an authentic Middle Ages like the village of Eze, next to Monaco.
If you try to count all the houses in St. Paul de Vence, you get somewhere around 50 stone buildings - undersized, with crookedly carved windows, narrow doors. It is difficult to call them houses in the modern sense of the word, and it would be wrong to divide them into separate buildings. They have long since grown together with each other. As in the Middle Ages, here they measure the distance not by individual houses, but by entire streets, of which five have accumulated in Saint-Paul-de-Vence over all the centuries. St. Paul de Vence is somewhat similar to a shell overgrown with other shells, younger and smaller. Saint-Paul-de-Vence is an old town, like a turtle, as inactive, but alive, like a single organism.
The town stands on a hill, surrounded by a grove of pine trees, which smells pungent when the sun burns the trees. The first buildings here date back to the 12th century, in other words, by the standards of homespun Provence, Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a very young city, a new building. First, there was a tower on the hill, then the tower was surrounded by a fortress wall, it collapsed, but the holes in the walls were plugged with new stones - and now you can see how medieval masons "darned" the battle fortifications. The building heyday of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is attributed to the era of the reign of Francis I, a respected king in France, who waged bloody wars in Provence (including with the rulers of Monaco Grimaldi), and after he won, he ordered to rebuild the destroyed province anew. So, the residential center of St. Paul de Vence is the work of the masons of Francis I, and since then the houses have hardly been rebuilt. Under Francis, a new fortress wall was also built, beyond which the city has not gone since then, which is why St. Paul de Vence is also called not only a village, but also a fortress city.
The style of Francis I is a mixture of rustic Provençal and Genoese. And this is feng shui - there is always water in the form of fountains (stone flowerpots, bowls and even lion muzzles), there are flowers and trees - in flowerpots or wooden tubs. More modern buildings, erected after Francis I, were already built under the hill, but they also look like shell antiquity - a small market, two pharmacies, a bank.
Try to live in a medieval house for a day - a great adventure. There are two hotels in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the oldest one is Hotel Le Saint-Paul. It is located on Grande Street, which means Central. The fact that this is a large and serious street can be judged by the fact that not two people, but three can disperse on it (two people can hardly disperse along other streets of the fortified city). Hotel Le Saint-Paul in the distant past was an ordinary inn with a ceramic shop, and in the 16th century this courtyard was bought by a bourgeois who got rich in the manufacture of olive oil and turned into his own city house. It is difficult to say why this bourgeois did not rebuild it at all - there is not a trace of the French bourgeoisness known to us here.
Medieval people were shorter, but more complete than we are. Having settled in the Hotel Le Saint-Paul, we realized that medieval Europeans were very tiny: where a family lived, today even one person can hardly turn around. Hotel Le Saint-Paul is a stone labyrinth, a beehive, where instead of honeycombs - hotel rooms with walls made of limestone fragments and small-sized iron furniture.
The second hotel is world famous - "Golden Dove" (Hotel de la Colombe d`Or) with the restaurant of the same name. This is one of the most famous hotels on the Cote d'Azur, and in appearance - a simple village tavern. The wedding of Yves Montand and Simone Signoret was played in the Golden Dove, and there are many black and white photographs on the walls of the hotel confirming this fact: Montand with a cigarette, Signoret with a scarf around his neck and with a glass of white wine. Opposite the hotel, they still play bowls, or rather, petanque, and Montand also played here many years ago.
But much earlier, in the 1920s, the Golden Dove had one wonderful owner, his name was Paul Roux. Sublime, captivating and in many ways advanced nature, this Monsieur Roux was completely delighted with the avant-garde and tried to draw himself - Pablo Picasso suggested this to him, most likely for the sake of a joke. Paul Roux did not succeed in drawing the way he wanted. But the failures did not harden him, Paul Roux wanted to see and hear the artists in his own house, in his "Golden Dove", and became for many of them a long-term friend, assistant and companion. Braque, Matisse, Picasso, Robert and Sophie Delaunay, Léger were guests at Roux's house. They left pictures here, just like that, just as a gift to the owner, and so gradually the hotel and tavern turned into a worthy art gallery. The paintings of the great masters calmly decorated the walls of the lobby and the restaurant. Unfortunately, the "Golden Dove" was ruthlessly plundered 20 years ago, however, all the paintings were found later, but now without pre-order You can't go to a hotel or a restaurant. Jacques Prevert, François Truffaut, Brigitte Bardot, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Romy Schneider - all these people have visited the Golden Dove more than once, leaving noisy villas and secular hotels of the brilliant French Riviera for it.
There are real museums in St. Paul de Vence. This is a lovely museum. musical instruments, which will be funnier than a similar museum in Vienna (it is located next to the "Golden Dove"). But on the other side of the hill, in a pine grove, in 1964 they built a fund-museum of modern art, also known as the Maeght Foundation (La Fondation Maeght). It was built by the architect Louis Ser, interior decoration was done by Miro and Braque, and the wall mosaic panel was made by Chagall - the great artist lived here for almost three decades. Marc Chagall is buried in the local cemetery of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, located outside the South Gate.
