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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

From Levens dans les Alpes-Maritimes

Patrimoine classé
Porte-de-ville
Patrimoine défensif
Rempart
Alpes-Maritimes

From Levens

    1 Place Victor Masseglia 
    06670 Levens
Rempart de Levens
Rempart de Levens
Rempart de Levens
Rempart de Levens
Crédit photo : MOSSOT - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
XIe siècle
Construction of the castle
1434
Completion of the salt road
XIIIe-XIVe siècles
Building ramparts
1525
Village fire
1621
Levens Revolt
1622
Destruction of ramparts
4 juillet 1942
Door classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Door: inscription by order of 4 July 1942

Key figures

Famille Riquier d’Êze - First Lords of Levens Fief possessors until 15th.
Grimaldi de Bueil - Feudal Lords Lower branch owner from the 15th.
Louis Grimaldi - Lord of Levens Signs a charter in 1475.
Annibal Grimaldi - Rebel Lord Executed in 1621 by the Duke.
César Grimaldi - Last effective lord Murdered in 1627, honorary title.
Charles-Emmanuel Ier - Duke of Savoie Order destruction in 1622.

Origin and history

The rampart of Levens is one of the last vestiges of a medieval defensive system built between the 13th and 14th centuries around the village, itself organized around a strong castle erected from the 11th century. This castle, initially a watchtower against the Saracen incursions, became the heart of a fief controlled by the Riquier d'Êze family until the 15th century, before passing to the Grimaldi of Bueil. The construction of the ramparts coincides with a period of regional tensions and economic development, especially after the completion of the salt road in 1434, linking Nice to the valley of Vesubia.

In the 16th century, relations between the Grimaldi, lords of Levens, and the Dukes of Savoy were marked by repeated conflicts. The fief was confiscated and then returned twice, and in 1525 the Grimaldi burned down the village. The revolt of the inhabitants in 1621, triggered after the execution of Annibal Grimaldi by the Duke of Savoie, led to the destruction of the castle and ramparts by ducal order in 1622. Today, only one door remains near the Portal House, which was listed as a historic monument in 1942.

The boutaù stone, located at the presumed site of the former seigneurial gate, recalls the revolt of 1621 and the end of the effective power of the Grimaldi. After the death of César Grimaldi in 1627, the title of Lord of Levens became honorary. The remains of the ramparts, although partially destroyed, remain a testimony of feudal struggles and of the defensive organization of medieval villages in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

External links