Tourrettes-sur-Loup: A Medieval Village of Violets and Artists between Vence and Grasse
Proudly set on a naturally defensive site, the village of Tourrettes-sur-Loup forms a remarkable medieval ensemble.
Located in the hills between Vence and Grasse, just 14 kilometres from the Mediterranean, the fortified village is known for its cultivation of violets and its thriving artist community.
A history going back to the 9th century BC
The history of Tourrettes-sur-Loup is closely tied to that of Provence and dates back to the 9th century BC, when the site was settled by the Ligurians. From 292 BC to 476 AD, the Romans occupied these high grounds, the turres altae.
For the next 500 years, Tourrettes was invaded by various tribes, including Visigoths, Huns, Franks, Lombards and Saracens, who are said to have fortified the site and occupied it until 972 AD. In 1387, in settlement of a conflict with the Count of Provence, the fiefdom was given to Guichard de Villeneuve, and it remained with the Villeneuve family until the French Revolution.
From 1463 onwards, Tourrettes went through a series of turbulent periods: plague, which struck over some 70 years, the Wars of Religion, the War of the Spanish Succession, the War of the Austrian Succession (fought in the region from 1744 to 1748) and the French Revolution.
The château
The Villeneuve family built the present château in 1437, incorporating the 12th-century belfry, and lived there until the French Revolution. The church, from the same period, was rebuilt in the 16th century and renovated in the 19th.
During one of the wars fought in the area, the château was turned into a military hospital for troops fighting in the region. It later passed through several families, with no significant renovation for several generations. In the 1960s, in a state of great disrepair, it was bought by the state and restored, and became the Town Hall.
The village today
Today, the Town Hall hosts art exhibitions and other cultural events. The centre of the village, whose medieval and Romanesque architecture remains almost intact, is full of artists’ studios and galleries: designers, weavers, potters, ceramicists, painters, sculptors and jewellery makers.
The houses themselves form the village ramparts, set around a semi-circular route that serves as the main pathway through the village.
Tourrettes-sur-Loup has a population of around 4,200, and its inhabitants are known as Tourrettans.
The village’s name
Until the Revolution, the village was called Tourrettes-lès-Vence. In 1894, it was renamed Tourrettes-sur-Loup, after the river marking the edge of the commune, so as not to be confused with Tourrette-Levens. The name Loup comes from the valley’s reputation for being full of wolves.
The violet town
Tourrettes-sur-Loup has a climate particularly well suited to growing violets, which became a true industry around 100 years ago. Violet growing remains one of the village’s main activities, and the scale of production earned it the name of the violet town.
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