La Martre: Nature and History in the Verdon Regional Natural Park

La Martre lies in the heart of the Verdon Regional Natural Park and is a stop on the Route Napoléon. These two connections provide an initial orientation: its location in the natural park and the village’s role on a named route. There are also tangible natural and cultural heritage features, from the Forêt du Brouis and the remains of the Scierie du Mont Brouis to a historic bridge and religious buildings. These highlights offer a practical guide when choosing where to stay: forests and biodiversity on the one hand, named routes and architectural landmarks on the other.

Landscape and Nature

The Forêt du Brouis is home to a wide variety of animal and plant species and includes beech and silver fir forests. Its biodiversity and woodland types give nature enthusiasts specific features to look for when exploring La Martre’s landscape. The park setting and the forest’s distinctive characteristics complement each other, highlighting the area’s connection to nature both at the regional level and within a named forest.

Routes and Historical Connections

As well as the Route Napoléon, the Route de l'Histoire et des Légendes passes through La Martre and other municipalities in the area. These include Châteauvieux, Brenon, Le Bourguet, Trigance, Comps-sur-Artuby, Bargème, La Roque-Esclapon and La Bastide. The routes have distinct roles: La Martre is a stop on the Route Napoléon, while the Route de l'Histoire et des Légendes passes through the village and several other municipalities. One route thus connects the village to its role as a stop, while the other encompasses a larger number of named places.

A specific historical connection to the Route Napoléon is the stop at the Logis du Pin inn. On his return journey to Paris, Napoleon I stopped there on 3 March 1815, within the municipality of La Martre. The stop refers to a single, dated event; the village’s role as a stop, by contrast, relates to its place on the route. This distinction helps clarify the two historical details without conflating them into a single event.

Buildings and Historical Details

Only a few wall remains survive from the Scierie du Mont Brouis. The positions of the former windows are also still visible. This detail gives the surviving remains a distinctive architectural feature: alongside the walls, the former layout can also be identified by the window positions.

The Pont de la Serre, also known as the Pont de Madame, is a single-arch bridge built over the Artuby in the 18th century. The two names refer to the same bridge. Its shape, connection to the river and date of construction offer different clues to help place this structure in context.

The Fontaine de La Martre also has a clearly defined chronology: it is documented from 1842 and was restored in 1909. The earlier record and later restoration mark two distinct points in time. Together with the bridge and the wall remains of the former sawmill, the fountain shows that La Martre’s heritage is reflected in different kinds of architectural landmarks.

Different details stand out at each of the religious buildings. The ruins of the former Sainte-Marthe chapel contain an oratory inside the apse. Eglise de la Purification houses a 12th-century wooden statue of the Virgin with a sword. At the chapel, the defining feature is the oratory within the apse; at the church, the statue’s material, subject and date are its distinctive characteristics.

Crafts in La Martre

At Château Rima, Françoise, a basket weaver, offers workshops and introduces visitors to her craft. This adds a practical connection to basket weaving alongside the historic buildings and routes. If you plan to take part, it is best to arrange a suitable date in advance, as the schedule may change.

Discover more destinations: Carqueiranne, Trans-En-Provence, La Bastide, Ramatuelle, Bauduen, Le Flayosquet, Hyères, Figanieres.

For the regional travel overview: Var.