Contes: Churches, Museum and Historic Mills
Accommodation in Contes
Contes offers a culturally rich setting for a stay: its named attractions include churches, a museum in the heart of the old village, and mills dedicated to different crafts. When choosing a hotel, you might therefore focus on whether you are more interested in religious buildings, exhibition topics or historic production.
Churches and protected heritage
The Church of Sainte-Hélène in Sclos-de-Contes is now a pilgrimage sanctuary. In La Vernéa, Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul was built in 1791 and became the parish church in 1803; the two dates distinguish its construction history from its religious function. Saint-Maurice in La Pointe de Contes was built in 1930. These sites bring together different historical and religious points of reference: a present-day pilgrimage sanctuary, a parish church with a dated history, and a 20th-century church. When comparing churches, their stated roles are just as useful a guide as their age.
The altarpiece “Marie-Madeleine” by François Bréa, dating from the mid-16th century, can be seen in the Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. This draws attention to a specific work, its artist and its date. Contes’ public fountain was classified as a Monument historique by decree dated 7 November 1906. These examples offer different ways to explore heritage: at the church, the focus is on a named altarpiece, its artist and the period in which it was created; at the fountain, it is its protected status under a decree with a specific date.
Museum in the old village
The Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires Georges Delserre Tabaraud is located in the heart of Contes’ old village. It opened on 30 June 2012 and offers a modern tour through eight rooms. Its themes range from water and hemp to childhood and social life, as well as cinema, heritage and history. Unlike the individual churches, the museum brings together several themes in one place. It is a good choice if you would like to explore a range of topics rather than just one building.
Mills and craft themes
The mills also differ in theme and historical period. The Moulin Ă huile de la Laouza is listed in the register of Monuments historiques and is still operating; traditionally, it produces olive oil from December to March. Upstairs, a room displays a collection of jugs, olive measures and oil lamps relating to the production, storage and use of olive oil. The olive oil mill thus combines a seasonal production period with objects related to the handling of oil.
Le Martinet, the iron mill dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, is classified as a Monument historique and is one of the few medieval tools in France still in working order. Here, the focus is on ironworking, its medieval history and continued operation; the Moulin Ă huile de la Laouza, by contrast, is about olive oil and traditional seasonal production. If you are interested in the history of crafts, you can compare the two mills based on these different themes.
Discover more destinations
Coursegoules, Pierrefeu, Gattiéres, La Trinité, La Turbie, Spéracèdes, Aspremont, Isola
For the main travel overview: Alpes-Maritimes.
