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An
unusual tour of St Paul will make you discover the village in a completely
different way.
From
the departure, located at the Petanque Square, still imbued with the
spirits of Yves Montant and Lino Ventura, you will discover the Ramparts
built by Francois Mandon de Saint-Remy, military engineer under King
Francois Ier. Then, you will cross the fortified walls through the Royal
or Northern Gate, decorated with a canon dating back to the 16th
Century.
You
can have a walk on the Rue Grande, pass by the Placette, where you can
find painting galleries, work-shops, boutiques specialized in traditional
products. You will also discover the "Pontis", with its mullioned windows,
the fountain ( 1850), listed as a historical monument.
Walking
under the Gate Tower, go towards the Western Ramparts. There, the old
dwellings, burnt by the sun, are bordering little gardens where lemon
and orange trees bend under the weight of their fruits.
At
last, you can stroll to the Collegiate Church, whose beautiful buildings
have considerably changed throughout the ages. The choir is the most
ancient part and dates back to the 12th
century, while St Clement Chapel is a masterpiece of baroque art from
the 17th
Century, and the central arch and the bell tower were built in the 18th
Century. Many works of art are permanently on exhibit, such as
very precious silver and gold objects and even a parchment signed in
1588 by the French King Henri III.
When
you reach the Southern Gate of the village, you will discover a stupendous
panorama that extends from the sea to the mountains and the wooded hill
of the Gardette, where the first traces of human occupation of the site
were discovered.
Chagall's
grave lies in the heart of the splendid Provencal cemetery and reminds
the visitor of the overwhelming spirits of a great number of artists
who came to live in St Paul : Braque, Miro, Calder and many others.
Your visit will end up in the Museum of St Paul, which shows different
exhibitions of contemporary art.
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