Manosque

Manosque is a town of about twenty-two thousand residents located in the south-east of France about one hour north of the French Riviera and one hour from the southern Alpes.  The city is located in the French department of Alpes de Haute Provence and at the eastern edge of the Luberon Natural Regional Park.

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Manosque was our initial choice to relocate for my sabbatical year.  The city has an international school and there are many different people who come from around the world to work at the nearby CEA (Centre d'Etude Atomique) and ITER, a nuclear fusion research site.  We decided to apply to the international school for my daughter who entered 6th grade in September but unfortunately it is very difficult to be admitted to this school because priority is given to the children and families of ITER.  We happily found another arrangement of school and housing in a neighboring village.  Everything is good!

But more about Manosque!  There are legends that say that Maneasq (Manosque ) was in existence as early as 218 B.C. when Hannibal, his army and his elephants marched up the Durance valley to reach the Alps and the border of Italy.  Another legend tells of a Roman general who camped near the walls of the city during a Roman invasion of Provence.  Ok, it is an old city!

Today, there are some remnants of the former ancient city. Manosque was once a fortified town and although the walls were taken down to widen and modernize the streets, some former gates are still present.

Looking at this map of the downtown area you can see the shape of the former walled city

Porte de la Sauniere

When we go to Manosque, we often park in the garage near the post office.  The Esplanade François Mitterrand sits on top of the garage and it is a wide open space with a fountain and benches.  On a clear day the view of the mountains is beautiful.

In September we saw some exhibits for the Correspondences Festival.  There were different "stations" set up throughout Manosque where one could read quietly or write. 

" Since it started in 1998, Manosque Correspondences Festival has been promoting living literature in dialogue with other forms of creativity. It is an event for today’s writers to express themselves, with readings and performances. It calls on actors and musicians to create new literary encounters between text, music, images and voices. It offers a profusion of readings, meetings and writing places to transform Manosque into a real literary stage open to all." 

http://www.france-voyage.com/events/correspondences-festival-55.htm

Saturday morning is market day in Manosque.  The streets and squares are filled with fruits, vegetables, household items and clothing. Almost all the shops are open and people are busy purchasing different things for the noon meal.  I love to go to the market and see the different fruits and vegetables in season.  Some vendors give out samples of their foods.  The last time we went to the market in Manosque we purchased different kinds of North African sweets which were so delicious.

Left: view of the market 

Right: I'll take one of everything! Looking in the the Boulangerie window.  YUM!!!

Busy Saturday morning in the streets of Manosque

Colorful Clementines

Saturday Marché
Olives

Clothes and bags

So far, we've visited two churches in Manosque.  The first one, Eglise Saint-Sauveur (Saint Savior Church) is located on Rue Grand.  The Saint-Sauveur church was built between the XII and XIV centuries and has both Roman and Gothic styles.                             This lovely fountain is in the square in front of the church.  At one time in the history of Manosque this was one of the only two places to find running water within the city walls.  I like the swans on the fountain!

Left: Facade of the church

Right: Surprisingly modern windows 

Interieur of Saint-Sauveur

Campanile of Saint-Sauveur

 Left and below: This is Place de la Mairie - City Hall Place.
When the weather is nice the cafés put out their tables and everyone enjoys the sunshine

Café au lait - Morning stroll in Manosque

The other church that we have visited is Église Notre-Dame de Romigier (Our Lady of Romigier) located in City Hall square. Construction on this church probably began in the 10th century and was finished sometime in the 15th century.  Throughout the years it has endured renovations and reconstructions and today its architecture and sculptures are open for the public.  Notre Dame de Romigier is famous for its Black Virgin statue that was found by a farmer around 974 in the fields near the remnants of a former church dedicated to the Sainte Vierge.  The current church was erected to shelter the statue and since then it has been a religious center for Manosque.

pretty tile on the church floor

This sarcophagus is said to have held the statue of the Black Virgin that was found by the farmer in the field.  It is now used as the altar in the church.








 Side view of sarcophagus, image of Adam and Eve and the snake. 

Mont d'Or and Jean Giono

 Mont d'Or is a hill in Manosque where the Counts of Forcalquier once had their castle.  Today you can drive up to a belvedere and then walk to the summit. To get to the peak you have to walk on a path through olive groves and eventually you arrive at the ruin of one remaining wall.  This wall is lit at night and you can see it from miles around.  We always know we are almost home when we see Mont d'Or.  

Walking up to the top of Mont d'Or

Sophia and Bubbe - view from Mont d'Or

Olive trees - Mont d'Or

"This beautiful round breast is a hill; its old earth only has dark orchards.  In the spring, a solitary almond tree suddenly lights up in a white fire, then goes out.
In this way, from the top of this round and feminine hill one can see the wide countryside. 
Jean Giono
"Manosque des plateaux"

This sign is located at the beginning of the trail to the summit of Mont d'Or.  It quotes Jean Giono, a famous writer from Manosque. You can see his name everywhere: schools, streets, offices and institutes are named after this wildly admired author whose works were set in Provence.

I'm glad we chose this area.  We are near the sea, the mountains and close to the small city of Manosque.  We have the best of both worlds here, we can go to town in the morning and walk the trails in our village in the afternoon.