Montferrat
Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ®
Var (83131)
Population: 630
Altitude: 480 m
Nearby:
[ Bargemon | Châteaudouble. | Comps-sur-Artuby | Draguignan | Figanières ]
Photos:
A view of the village from across the fields (18 k)
Below: [ History | Dates | Hiking | Lodging ]
Montferrat, sitting off to the side of the Draguignan-Comps road, looks a littly shabby as you go by. Take a few minutes to stop, though, and you'll discover a charming little village. A long central street runs down the length of the village between neat houses and shops, with a feeling of year-round activity; this is not a tourist-season-only village.
Below the main street, a square shaded by plane trees has the Nartuby river running through it. This square, separated from the village by a little arched bridge, has the village school, with the sound of kids playing, and the tiny Saint-Roch church (photo).
The surrounding hills are all forested, including the tall, narrow hill that towers behind the village where the Nôtre-Dame-de-Beauvoir chapel peaks out from the trees. This romanesque chapel is on the site of an ancient pagen temple.
The ruins of the old perched village can be seen up on the top. The ruins of the old village and château Beaudron are located up a small road just east of the Montferrat. There's also the ruins of a village and château at Espéral to the north.
Name
First record, 1110: De Monte Ferrario, and 1135: De Monte Ferrato
History
Pre-Roman: a pagen temple pre-dated the medieval romanesque chapel on the hill above the village.
Medieval:
was part of the Villeneuve domain.
The commune purchased part of the domain in 1300, and
Hélion de Villeneuve, brother of Sainte Roseline gave the village a franchise.
Montferrat "descended" from its perched location in the 14th century.
The village suffered its tribulations over the centuries, with Charles de Duras, Raymond de Turenne and Charles-Quint doing their part.
Dates
Fête: 16 August
Foire: 2nd Sunday after Easter
Hiking
Maps: IGN 3543 ouest "seillans" (1:25,000); Didier Richard #25 (1:50,000).
The first hike to take here is the Chemin de Croix that goes from the village up to the N.D.-de-Beauvoir (680 m). The trail continues to the north and east through the woods (just to 759 m high).
There are several half-day hikes, including loop possibilities, through the Beaudron hills and the Bois de Favas to the east. One of the trails goes up to the Oppidum at the 832 m peak, where there's a magnificent view to the south and east, overlooking Callas and Claviers.
