Le Mas
Geography
Le Mas is located some 45 km north-west of Nice and 32 km east of Castellane in a direct line. Access to the commune is by road D10 which branches from the D5 road on the western border of the commune and passes through the length of the commune through the village before continuing to Aiglun in the east. The D110 branches from the D10 in the west of the commune and passes along the river valley to rejoin the D10 east of the village. The commune is alpine in nature with high mountains and alpine valleys throughout.
The Gironde river flows through the commune from west to east to join the Estéron which forms the eastern border of the commune as it flows south then east joining the Var at Saint-Martin-du-Var. Numerous tributaries feed the Gironde in the commune.
Neighbouring communes and villages
History
Isnard, from the House of Grasse, Commander of St. John of Jerusalem, Prior of Capua, Grand Seneschal of Provence, in recognition of his services received the lands of Mas and Aiglun from Queen Jeanne on 7 July 1348. He donated the land of Aiglun to his cousin Pons of Ferres on 18 May 1349. The fief of Mas passed down to Bertrand II de Grasse. The Grasse family lost the lordship of Mas at the time of the separation of Nice and it subsequently remained with the Counts of Provence.
In 1713 the Treaty of Utrecht provided that Ubaye and its dependencies, formerly under the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, were exchanged for the French areas in the Susa Valley so that the boundary followed the line of the watershed. But the overlapping of territories inherited from history remained: Entraunes and Saint-Martin-d'Entraunes were dependent on Barcelonnette but are in the Var valley while the Piedmontese side upstream of Guillaumes was already French. The Kingdoms of France and Piedmont both claimed them. In addition, in the Estéron Valley the right bank of the Var was Piedmontese which created a tongue of land jutting out into French Provence. In Haut-Var it was ultimately the line of the watershed which prevailed. To provide compensation to France and to reduce the irregularity of the border, the community of Mas was ceded to France in 1718.
For more historical information (in French) click here.
Heraldry
Administration
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List of Successive Mayors
From | To | Name | Party |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | 2007 (died in office) | Marcel Rebuffel | |
2006 | 2008 | Frédéric Castellano | DVD |
2008 | 2020 | Fabrice Lachenmaier | PRG |
2020 | incumbent | Ludovic Sanchez |
Demography
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Massois, Massoises, or Massoinques in French.
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Source: EHESS and INSEE |
Culture and heritage
Civil heritage
- The remains of a Chateau from the 11th century
- A small classical chateau
- A Mill to the south of the village
- The Arboretum du Sarroudier
Religious heritage
The Church of Notre-Dame (12th century) is registered as an historical monument The Church contains two items that are registered as historical objects:
- Other religious sites of interest
- The Chapel of Saint Arnoux
- The Chapel of the White Penitents (Now converted to a private residence)
- The Chapel of Saint Sebastian (Now private)
- The Hamlet of Sausses with the Chapel of Saint Sauveur and the Oratory of Saint Aman
- Le Mas Photo Gallery
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Le Mas Fountain
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The Chapel of Saint-Arnoux
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The Chapel of Saint-Arnoux interior
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The old Chapel of the White Penitents
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The Chapel of Saint Sebastian
See also
Bibliography
- Philippe de Beauchamp, The Misunderstood High Country. Villages & isolated hamlets of Alpes-Maritimes, p. 137, Éditions Serre, Nice, 1989 ISBN 978-2-86410-131-4; p. 159
External links
- Le Mas on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
- Mas on the 1750 Cassini Map
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ Géoportail, IGN (in French)
- ^ Denis Andreis, "1713-1718: The high Var Valley at the heart of international litigation", At the heart of the Alps: Utrecht, symposium organised by the Museum of, the Eco-Museum of Roudoule, and the Sabença de la Valeia association, 14–16 September 2012. Proceedings published in 2013 (in French)
- ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
- ^ Le nom des habitants du 06 - Alpes-Maritimes, habitants.fr
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Le Mas, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00080759 Church of Notre-Dame (in French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM06000393 Reliquary of Saint Arnoux (in French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM06000392 Bust-Reliquary of Saint Arnoux (in French)
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