Moustiers Sainte Marie

Moustiers Sainte Marie, famous for its pottery, is a wonderful village whose cluster of buildings with their patchwork of red-tiled roofs hugs the hillside and crawls back into the protection of a sheltered mountain alcove. Monks came here in 433, took shelter in caves dug into the mountainside, and founded the monastery Nôtre Dame de Beauvoir, which towers over the village. The church was rebuilt during the 12th century and enlarged in the 16th. You can reach the sanctuary by a winding footpath paved with round stones leading up from the heart of the village. This is a beautiful Provençal hilltown whose narrow, winding streets offer a wealth of stores displaying the famous Moustiers pottery. As early as 1678, the first master potter created a pattern that originated the style associated with the village. Today, some 15 master potters offer high-quality handmade and hand-decorated products, and pottery is the principal industry in the area. You can actually come to Moustiers and commission a personalized pattern in one of the workshops. Considering the size of the village and its seemingly remote location, it is hard to believe that the workshops of Moustiers Sainte Marie fulfill requests from all over the world for their hand-painted faïence.