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Overlooking the road from the top of the aqueduct, the cast-iron cross, erected at the end of the 19th century, commemorates a Mission, a high point of evangelization. The aim of the Missions was to spread religion and rekindle the faith of the local people.
For several days, under the guidance of a priest, Masses, sermons and prayers followed, culminating in the erection of a cross during a procession. Mission crosses frequently marked village boundaries.
In Castellane, the location of the cross is particularly symbolic. Beyond the bridge were the religious possessions of Notre-Dame du Plan, a religious enclosure – or cloister – on the outskirts of the town.
The opening of the road along the Verdon, around 1880, and the development of the waterway changed the face of the site. The high cross facing the town extended the Church’s protection to this “new” entrance to Castellane. Every year, people would come to this cross in procession to bless the land.
04120 Castellane-en