A brief distance from the gorgeous medieval city of Uzès, the village of Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie lives as much as its title. Wander the slim lanes and also you’ll discover potteries appear to be on each avenue. That is no atypical village – right here clay isn’t only a craft – it’s a lifestyle. Uncover extra in our information to Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie…
Information to Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie
“Saint-Quentin” takes its title from a Third-century Christian martyr, a reminder of the world’s historical religious roots. However it’s the second a part of the title, la Poterie, that tells the true story. Added formally in 1886, the title recognised what had outlined the village for hundreds of years: pottery. Lengthy earlier than it grew to become a part of the official title, clay formed each the economic system and on a regular basis life right here.
The village’s pottery origins date again to Gallo-Roman occasions. Archaeologists have uncovered fragments of amphorae and on a regular basis wares, proof that this was as soon as a thriving centre of ceramic manufacturing. By the Center Ages, the village had change into recognized for its utilitarian pottery resembling jugs, oil jars, and conventional cooking pots referred to as ‘toupins’ which have been offered throughout southern France. The ground tiles of the Palais des Papes in Avignon are believed to have some from Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie.
The nineteenth century introduced decline, as industrial manufacturing changed handmade items. By the early twentieth century, the craft was all however misplaced. Then, within the Sixties and ’70s, a revival started. Artists and artisans started returning to the village, drawn by the standard of the clay, the great thing about the panorama, and the possibility to revive a disappearing custom. What started as a small inventive resurgence has grown right into a flourishing creative neighborhood.
Pottery & Artisan Studios
Go to Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie at this time and also you’ll discover some 45 artisans working in studios scattered all through the village, in addition to a number of galleries. Some potters use conventional strategies, shaping rustic terracotta varieties, whereas others push boundaries with modern designs.
As fairly as it’s, with flower festooned, and tiled streets and pottery decorations in every single place from delicate butterflies, to tiled paving and even a life-sized girl sitting on a bench, this isn’t a museum village – it’s a working one. Studio doorways are sometimes open, inviting guests to look at as clay is thrown, formed, and reworked, like on the atelier/gallery of Hélène Lathoumétie at 5 rue de la Fontaine. Right here Hélène, impressed by nature, creates ethereal items from earrings to teapots, bowls and extra uncommon objects like a quilt lined porcelain muff! Her items are delicately fashioned, typically with lace-like options, and colored with smooth pastels.
And the artists love to speak to guests about their very own and different potter’s work, they don’t compete however collaborate, and sometimes a number of potters will share studio and store house.
You’ll see every part from traditional Provençal olive jars to sculptural vases and chic, hand-thrown tableware. Convey a sturdy bag; you’ll be tempted to take house fragile treasures. You’ll be able to even take a pottery lesson (particulars by way of the vacationer workplace).
Go to on the primary weekend in Could for a braderie when potters maintain a market of their wares; in July, there’s a serious annual pottery occasion for ceramic artwork and modern creation in France and Europe – the Terralha Competition, which options artisans from throughout Europe, and packed programme together with hands-on workshops, movie screenings, exhibitions on the on the Museum of Mediterranean Pottery and the Terra Viva Gallery, talks, and extra.
To completely recognize the depth of this custom, a go to to the Musée de la Poterie Méditerranéenne is crucial. Housed in a former outdated mill, the museum traces the evolution of pottery throughout the Mediterranean, with a robust concentrate on the area’s heritage. Shows vary from historical amphorae to fashionable ceramics, providing perception into strategies resembling glazing, firing, and shaping.
It’s a small museum, nevertheless it has an interesting show which ranges from historical amphorae to fashionable ceramics and is ideal for not simply the strategies of glazing and firing but additionally for understanding how one thing so simple as a clay vessel connects centuries of human life.
Meals & Drink
There are many wonderful eating places within the village and nothing beats lunch on a shaded terrace. Close by vineyards produce wines that pair fantastically with native dishes, whereas the twice weekly market (Tuesday and Friday) bursts with color: olives, honey, herbs and seasonal produce reflecting the identical earthy palette because the pottery itself.
Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie is a village the place custom isn’t preserved behind glass, it’s nonetheless being lived, formed, and reinvented on daily basis.
Uncover extra about Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie: uzes-pontdugard.com/en
