Seillans (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in southeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is a ''ville perché'' (perched hill-top village) overlooking the plain between the southern

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

and the

Esterel Esterel is a synchronous programming language for the development of complex reactive systems. The imperative programming style of Esterel allows the simple expression of parallelism and preemption. As a consequence, it is well suited for cont ...

, which borders the sea between

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

and Saint-Raphaël. It has been recognized by

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...

. Seillans has a steeply-inclined medieval centre, accessible only on foot, and a number of small squares and old buildings. It is the westernmost of a line of such towns and villages (including Montauroux, Callian, Tourrettes and

Fayence Fayence (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (department), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. Fayence is one of a series of "perched villages" ov ...

) that face south and attract tourists. Other local attractions include the nearby Lac de Saint-Cassien. Seillans is also a destination for holiday-makers, retirees and second-home owners from other parts of France and northern Europe. Seillans features a castle and C13 church at its summit. Nearby are rustic chapels, vineyards, forests and olive groves. Seillans has an annual pottery market and many concerts and events throughout the year, as well as the annual international Musique-Cordiale Festival, a fortnight when the church, the ''salle polyvalente'' and outdoor venues resound to a variety of high quality classical, choral and jazz music from international artists, soloists, choirs and orchestras each August, when the area is at its most popular. In the late 1960s and early 1970s

Max Ernst Max Ernst (; 2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German-born painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and surrealism in Europe. He had no formal artistic trai ...

and

Dorothea Tanning Dorothea Margaret Tanning (25 August 1910 – 31 January 2012) was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, writer, and poet. Her early work was influenced by Surrealism. Biography Dorothea Tanning was born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois. ...

made Seillans their home. The village hosts a substantial Max Ernst collection, including several sculptures in open air.

Geography

Climate

Seillans has a

hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Csa''). The average annual temperature in Seillans is . The average annual rainfall is with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Seillans was on 7 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 20 December 2009.

Population

References

External links

Seillans site

Musique-Cordiale: the international classical music festival in the Var
Communes of Var (department) Plus Beaux Villages de France {{Var-geo-stub

Geography

Climate

Population

See also

References

External links