Entries By francecom

Place forte of Mont-Dauphin

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The Monument

In 1692, the region was again invaded by the troops of Victor-Amédée II, Duke of Savoy. Vauban undertook the construction of a fortress that would resist the enemy’s advances and ensure the protection of the population. A large rock dominating the valleys of the Guil and the Durance rivers seemed the ideal site as it was both inaccessible and inhospitable. In 1693, work began on a new city and new fortifications. Construction and consolidation continued for almost a century.

The cloister of the cathedral of Fréjus

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Monument

The Castle of If in Marseille

[img_assist|nid=41546|title=|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=500|height=240]   Monument Off the coast of Marseille lies the château d’If, better known for the legends attached to this picturesque site than for its military importance. The little island entered history with the arrival in 1515 of the first rhinoceros brought to Europe. The animal […]

The Abbey of Thoronet

The Abbey of Thoronet

Monument

The Thoronet abbey, a Cisterian monastery founded in 1146 by the Tourtour monks in a wild setting in the Var region, gathers its monastery buildings around a cloister which is protected by sturdy arcatures from the Romanesque period. Apart from the "palm tree" vault in the chapter house, the barrel vault predominates; its majestic volumes round out everywhere, from the church to the storeroom without forgetting the dormitory, which rose from the ruins brought about by the 18th century "improvements". The state purchased the abbey progressively from 1854 onwards and it recovered its original appearance thanks to important renovation works.

The Abbaye de Montmajour in Arles

The Abbaye de Montmajour in Arles

Monument

Above the plain to the northeast of Arles, the Saint-Peter abbey was founded on the "Mount Majour" (the big mountain) in 948. Until 1790, Benedictine monks lived there according to the rules of Saint Benedict of Nurcie.

Tour Saint-Nicolas in La Rochelle

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The Monument

The Castle of Oiron

[img_assist|nid=41544|title=|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=400|height=300] The Monument The château of Oiron, in the South of Chinon and Saumur, should be as famous as the most beautiful châteaus of the Val de Loire. This construction, constantly transformed by the successive generations of the Gouffier family (from the Poitou region), is a […]

The Gallo-Roman site of Sanxay

The Gallo-Roman site of Sanxay

Monument

The Abbey of Charroux

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The Monument

The Castle of Pierrefonds

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The Monument