Levens
Encyclopedia
Levens is a commune
in the Alpes-Maritimes
département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
region
in southeastern France
.
Its inhabitants are called Levensans (or Levensois).
(Plan-du-Var hamlet
) to the Férion range. Mount Férion is 1,400 metres high.
, Castagniers
, Coaraze
, Colomars
, Duranus
, Èze
, Falicon
, La Gaude
, La Roquette
, Saint-Blaise
, Saint-Jeannet
and Tourrette-Levens
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...
département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in southeastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Its inhabitants are called Levensans (or Levensois).
Origin and evolution of the name
There are three possible explanations of the origin of the name :- From the name of the Leponti tribe, which was changed to Leventi during the Roman period;
- From the name of a notable Roman figure, Laevinus;
- From the LigurianLigurian language (Romance)Ligurian is a Gallo-Romance language spoken in Liguria in Northern Italy, parts of the Mediterranean coastal zone of France, Monaco and in the villages of Carloforte and Calasetta in Sardinia. Genoese , spoken in Genoa, the capital of Liguria, is its most important dialect...
word stem lev, indicating a sloping landscape;
Geography
The village, built on high rocky ground, is located at an altitude of 600 metres. It lies in the center of the district, which stretches from the plain of the VarVar River
The Var is a river located in the southeast of France. The name Var originates from the Ligurian word for waterway.The Var flows through the Alpes-Maritimes département for most of its length, with a short stretch in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département...
(Plan-du-Var hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
) to the Férion range. Mount Férion is 1,400 metres high.
History
- Before the Christian era, the first inhabitants mentioned in history are called the Lépontiens, one of the numerous LigurianLiguresThe Ligures were an ancient people who gave their name to Liguria, a region of north-western Italy.-Classical sources:...
tribes. The name Léponti became Leventi under the Romans, then Leventio in the Middle AgesMiddle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Levenzo during the Italian era, to become the current Levens.
- Romans chose the Prés (meadow) quarter, one of the most beautiful in the district, when they set up houses and founded the town. They constructed a cobbled mule track going from CimiezCimiezCimiez is a neighborhood in Nice, southern France. The area contains the Musée Matisse and the ruins of Cemenelum, capital of the Ancient Roman province Alpes Maritimae on the Ligurian coast...
to Saint-Martin-LantosqueLantosqueLantosque is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
crossing through Levens.
- In 407, Leventi suffered badly from the invasion of the County of NiceCounty of NiceThe County of Nice or Niçard Country is a historical region of France, located in the south-eastern part, around the city of Nice.-History:Its territory lies between the Mediterranean Sea , Var River and the southernmost crest of the...
by a 200,000-strong army of VandalsVandalsThe Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
.
- The present village is constructed around the old feudal castle erected by the counts of ProvenceProvenceProvence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
after the collapse of the Roman EmpireRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
- At the end of the 14th century, the destiny of Levens was linked to the whole County of Nice, which parted with Provence to form an alliance with SavoySavoySavoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
on the initiative of the powerful John Grimaldi, baron of Beuil, whose eldest son later became lord of Levens. The dedication act was signed on 28 September 1388, in front of the Saint-Pons monastery.
- A plague epidemic in 1467 devastated much of the county's population.
- On 8 January 1475, Louis Grimaldi, lord of Levens and descendant of John, allowed the inhabitants a 'liberty charter', conferring on them the right to vote for their own councilmen, and getting rid of the annual "cut" (local tax) of 40 gold florins to be paid to Grimaldi on All Saints' Day.
- John II Grimaldi, inducted into the fiefdom of Levens on 15 May 1543, took an oath of fealty to the Duke of Savoy Emmanuel Philibert, only to immediately betray him and fight with the Franco-Turkish troops during the siege of Nice. Convicted of treason, John II was condemned to banishment and seizure of his goods. By an act dated 22 October 1550, the inhabitants of Leventio purchased directly from their Savoyard overlord the flour mills and deficis (olive oil mills) for 1,200 gold Italian crowns. However, after a 14-year period of roaming and making amends, John II's title deeds were restored to him on 8 December 1557, provoking anger among the inhabitants and making the Grimaldi family unpopular for a while.
- The parish church received imposing alteration works between 1610 and 1615.
- Annibal Grimaldi, Count of Beuil and governor of County of Nice, maintained political relations with his French neighbours and was in favor of giving the county to FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The Duke of Savoy Charles-Emmanuel then revoked Annibal's command and ordered him and his son André to follow the Duke to the TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
court. When they instead returned to their lands, Charles-Emmanuel considered them rebels. As they were not supported by Louis XIII, the king of France who had just married his sister Christine to Charles-Emmanuel's son Victor Amédée, Annibal Grimaldi and his son were convicted of lese-majesté, rebellion and perfidy, and were sentenced to death in absentia, following a series of protracted proceedings. The Count of Beuil shut himself up in his castle of Tourettes-RevestRevest-les-RochesRevest-les-Roches is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, which was immediately besieged by Savoyard troops. He was strangled to death on 9 January 1621.
- At the time of these incidents between the overlord and his vassal, the lord of Levens was César Grimaldi. The inhabitants still remembered the return of John II, and the youth were not quick to forget that the Count of Beuil had written an act forbidding any public festivities without permission of the lord. When hearing of Annibal's end, César and his family fled to CabrisCabrisCabris is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
; the Levensans promptly sacked the castle, placed a boutàu (a stone for jumping over) and danced the farandoleFarandoleThe farandole is an open-chain community dance popular in the County of Nice, France. The farandole bears similarities to the gavotte, jig, and tarantella...
around and over it, screaming: "We jump over the Grimaldis' belly!" The day after, the Duke of Savoy favourably accepted a letter from the Levensans, affirming their devotion to Savoy. In return, Charles-Emmanuel granted a charter of liberty to Levens which became comtesse d'elle-même (self-ruling). On 16 October 1622, the order was given to destroy the battlements surrounding the castle.
- During the dark years of the Revolutionary period, Levens, along with the whole County, suffered many violent acts of the French occupying army and the Barbet counter-revolutionary movement. On 29 September 1792, General d'Anselme entered the city of Nice. On 17 October 1792, the 1,150 soldiers commanded by Brigadier Paul de Barral seized Levens, then marched toward DuranusDuranusDuranus is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Tourism:Duranus is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...
and LantosqueLantosqueLantosque is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
. The future Marshal of FranceMarshal of FranceThe Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
André MassénaAndré MassénaAndré Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
, born in Nice and brought up in the Siga and Serret family houses in Levens itself, was part of this occupying troop.
Administration
| Period | Identity | Party | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Antoine Véran | ||
| 1991 1994 | Léon-Pierre Raybaud | ||
| 1929 1991 | Joseph Raybaud | Senator of the Alpes-Maritimes | |
| 1903 1929 | Jean Giletta | ||
| 1896 1903 | Léon Sauvan | ||
| 1882 1896 | Joseph Faraut | ||
| 1878 1882 | Louis Ciais | ||
| 1871 1878 | Victor Masséglia | ||
| 1870 1871 | Joseph Faraut | ||
| 1865 1870 | Louis Barriéra | ||
| 1860 1865 | Honoré Baudouin | ||
| Before the 1860 incorporation of County of Nice into France, Levens and the County of Nice County of Nice The County of Nice or Niçard Country is a historical region of France, located in the south-eastern part, around the city of Nice.-History:Its territory lies between the Mediterranean Sea , Var River and the southernmost crest of the... were part of the Piedmont-Sardinia Piedmont-Sardinia Kingdom of Sardinia or Sardinia, also Piedmont-Sardinia, Sardinia-Piedmont or Piemonte, refers to the states of the House of Savoy from 1720 or 1723 onwards, following the award of the crown of Sardinia to King Victor Amadeus II of Savoy under the Treaty of The Hague... kingdom. |
|||
Tourism
Levens is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés (Route of Perched Villages). The others are: AspremontAspremont, Alpes-Maritimes
Aspremont is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Aspremont is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...
, Castagniers
Castagniers
Castagniers is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Castagniers is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...
, Coaraze
Coaraze
Coaraze is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Its inhabitants are called Coaraziens.-Geography:...
, Colomars
Colomars
Colomars is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Inhabitants of Colomars are called Colomarsois. Colomars is a part of the Pays Niçois...
, Duranus
Duranus
Duranus is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Tourism:Duranus is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...
, Èze
Èze
Èze is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France, not far from the city of Nice.-History:The area surrounding Èze was first populated around 2000 BC as a commune situated near Mount Bastide. The earliest occurrence of the name "Èze" can be found in the maritime books of...
, Falicon
Falicon
Falicon is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Falicon is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...
, La Gaude
La Gaude
La Gaude is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.- History :La Gaude takes its name from a tool that was used for repairing fishing nets...
, La Roquette
La Roquette-sur-Siagne
La Roquette-sur-Siagne is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:La Roquette is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...
, Saint-Blaise
Saint-Blaise, Alpes-Maritimes
Saint-Blaise is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Saint-Blaise is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...
, Saint-Jeannet
Saint-Jeannet, Alpes-Maritimes
Saint-Jeannet is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Saint-Jeannet is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...
and Tourrette-Levens
Tourrette-Levens
Tourrette-Levens is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France.-Population:-Tourism:Tourrette-Levens is one of thirteen villages grouped together by the Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur tourist department as the Route des Villages Perchés...
.
Sights
- The peira tourgnola (turning stone) is a vertical stone several meters high, topped with a second block measuring about 1 meter high, situated on the path to Albarea, near the fork in the path to Coumba.
- With the gate of the first outer walls and the one of the second outer walls (the 'Portal'), the 'tower' is one of the three remains of the old castle. This tower is the old donjon, the highest point of the village, which overhangs the public swimming pool below, and offers a distant view over the plain of the Var and the cape of AntibesAntibesAntibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
.
- The boutàu is a cylindrical cone-shaped and truncated stone, which was placed in the ground at the current Liberty Place and over which the farandoleFarandoleThe farandole is an open-chain community dance popular in the County of Nice, France. The farandole bears similarities to the gavotte, jig, and tarantella...
dancers jumped during the revolt of 1621.
- The Saint-Antonin parish church is mentioned as far back as 1286 on the Saint-Pons' abbey Cartulary. Construction of the first church was probably prior to the 13th century, but it has been affected by numerous revisions, particularly at the beginning of the 17th century. It is built according to a basilica plan, with a 4-bay nave and two side aisles; the chancel and the two side aisles are closed with flat chevets. These three aisles are separated by two 4-pillar rows, made of local grey limestone. The bases of the pillars comprise curious heads of a late Roman style, very diversified, among which is a "Levens smile"! Three pieces, including a polychrome wooden statue of the Virgin, a pulpitPulpitPulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
and predellaPredellaA predella is the platform or step on which an altar stands . In painting, the predella is the painting or sculpture along the frame at the bottom of an altarpiece...
telling Saint Antonin's life, date to the 16th century.
- The Chapel for the White Penitents Brotherhood founded at the beginning of the 14th century, called 'White Chapel', was consecrated to Our Lady of the Assumption, shifted and rebuilt on its present location (Republic Place) in 1775. It contains a polychrome altar pieceReredosthumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
dated to the 18th century, an alabaster 'Virgin and Child' dated to the 17th century, and a polychrome wooden processional Virgin statue dated to the 18th century.
- The Chapel for the Black Penitents Brotherhood was founded at the end of the 16th century; it is called 'Black Chapel'. The treasure house of the Levens church is presented here, within the scope of a religious art museum.
Personalities
- Pierre Giletta (end 16th century - beginning 17th century) was a secular priest and teacher of theology at Nice's college, prefect of the ducal house. In 1608 he published a Déclaration de foi (declaration of faith) in Thonon--a book against the Calvinists, redacted in French.
- François Malausséna (1814 Levens - 1882 NiceNiceNice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
), lawyer at the bar of Nice, mayor of Nice, president of the conseil général of the Alpes-Maritimes.
- Frédéric Maurandi (1863 Levens - 1943 MassoinsMassoinsMassoins is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-References:*...
), primary school teacher. He published Les Annales de Levens (The Annals of Levens) in 1931.
- Victor Tiranty (1750 Levens - 1835 Nice), jurist, notary and businessman, member of the Société populaire. A defender of France and the Revolution, he protested against the behaviour of General d'Anselme and his troops.
External links
- Levens' anthem.
- Some chimes and knells from the County of Nice: tirignoun (chime) and clar (knell) from Levens.