Hike GR52A La Brigue Saorge

From the esplanade of the Monastery where you can contemplate Saorge "village in the sky" hanging in ampitheatre from the restanques, enter a world of serenity: the baroque Franciscan convent, with the church and its terraced garden in a green valley.Guided tour not to be missed! Included in the monument entrance fee, no reservation required: Every day from early June to late September, at 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. From October 1 to November 3 and from February 1 to May 31 (closed Mondays): guided tour at 11am and 3pm. The village of Saorge overlooks the Roya Gorge at the gateway to the Mercantour Park. Listed as a National Monument, the Monastery, a former Franciscan convent founded in 1633 in the Baroque style, has preserved its original structure, painted decor and food garden. The Church of Our Lady of Miracles features remarkable walnut woodwork, paintings and liturgical objects. The cloister is adorned with 17th-century frescoes illustrating episodes in the life of St. Francis of Assisi, as well as an exceptional set of nine period sundials. The refectory features 17th-century frescoes depicting monastic virtues. The garden, a haven of peace overlooking the mountains, features an organic vegetable garden and orchard, terraced with several interconnected irrigation basins. Free guided tours lasting around 1 hour are included in the entrance fee. The monastery welcomes writers, translators and scriptwriters in residence from April to October. - For the visually impaired, the Monastery offers a range of mediation tools: a tactile model and well-designed tour guides in Braille and thermoformed sheets, produced by a specialized association in collaboration with the Valentin Haüy association. - For the mentally impaired, adapted tours are available in-house, subject to prior booking. - For the deaf and hard-of-hearing, the Monastery can call on the services of LSF interpreters, externally, by reservation and for groups only. - To date, there are no specific accessibility facilities for the motor-impaired...

A village in the shape of an eagle's nest, Saorge is a monument in itself, a witness to medieval architecture. This village, which looks like a "Tibetan village", entirely listed, is an ancient fortress clinging to the side of the mountain in the shape of an amphitheatre.Saorge is an important point on the "Route of the Baroque and Historic Organs of the Roya Valley". A village with Ligurian origins, for a long time it was a stopover on the salt route, a strategic axis between France and Italy. It has a rich historical and religious heritage with, in addition to the Monastery, which is part of the National Monuments Centre, a Baroque church, three chapels and the remains of fortified castles. With its narrow streets and vaulted passages, once defended by three castles, the fortress of Saorge, reputed to be impregnable, was nicknamed "the lock of the Roya".