Flayosc village

Flayosc Village
Flayosc is a typical provençal medieval village with its large shady square, its fountains, old church, rambling rooftops. It is the perfect location to relax and enjoy the beauty of Provence. It is far enough away from the busy tourist spots on the coast, but near enough to the local town of Draguignan with all its amenities. Flayosc is also a well serviced village in itself with a provençal market every Monday morning which has a great array of local produce. There are innumerable cafes where you can sit on the terrace, sip a glass of local wine and watch the world go by. The village can provide everything one needs: excellent shops for food, bakeries, butcher, grocery and fruit/veg shops, pharmacy, bank, several restaurants, laundry/drycleaners and wine cooperative. It also has a very good traiteur (delicatessen) who prepares excellent regional dishes, thus saving cooking at home. It is a village which is a pleasurable in the winter months as it is in the summer. The hustle and bustle continues year round, thanks to a very active local committee, there is lots of entertainment throughout the year including winter, such as antiques markets, concerts, fêtes, and fireworks.

Flayosc is just off the D555. Follow the signs to Flayosc which takes you off the the main road and straight on up the hill to the village centre. After a hundred meters you see at your right hand side a square with remnants of the old village walls and the church. Here you find the Office of the Tourist Information, which can provide you with detailed information on the region.

Flayosc has a traditional Provencal market in central Flayosc every Monday morning.

Flayosc village history
The history of Flayosc is interesting. Once a center of industry, now just one shoe factory is all there is left. During the last few decades tourism has become very important. On top of the green hills you find Flayosc with its houses built in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The church, of which parts originate from the thirteenth century, has an open iron construction on top of its tower in which the bells are. This campanula is typical for the region.

The first records of Flayosc date from around 1050 where it is referred to as Flaiosc. The name probably comes from the Ligurians, who lived here a long time before the Romans came along. Roman: Flayosc was a Roman settlement, with a Roman road passing nearby. A Roman necropole was discovered at Flayosquet, one km northeast.

In the middle ages you entered the village by narrow streets and series of gates. Now you enter by the Rue des Fainéants. After one of the local legends, "fainéants" meant nitwits, but others think that they were persons collecting the leaves of the mulberry tree in order to feed the silk worms. The silk industry flourished, the children played in paved streets (a sign of prosperity) and the most famous surgeons came to the local hospital in order to cure all kinds of diseases. In the thirteenth century the plague came to the Provence and the village of Flayosc was decimated. People fled into the mulberry woods and made fires in order to conquer the plague. The silk industry went down, but the people of Flayosc started a new life and under the reign of Queen Jeanne I of Anjou a channel was dug to irrigate the fields for growing olives and wheat.

Since 1202 Flayosc was in the domain of the Lords of Villeneuve. This family reigned over the village from their castle on the top of the hill. Queen Jeanne favored Flayosc with certain good deeds and franchises, including running water. In 1589, La Valette pillaged and burned the village, massacring the lord and 16 inhabitants. In 1678. After a series of bloody events, the plague epidemic of 1723 and several invasions, the French revolution started. Flayosc became a marquisate under François de Périer. In May of 1792, the Lord of Flayosc, who evidently was aware of his unpopularity, was in refuge in Strasbourg when the population, led by the Mayor, destroyed his castle.

The Flayosc leather and shoe industry
During the French revolution, Napoleon used Flayosc to supply shoes to his army. In addition to this, the leather industry made progress due to a concentration of horse stables for the coaches near Barjols. On the Place de l'Arene you find two stable doors with carved horse heads as silent witnesses of this period.

Inside Flayosc church

Flayosc fountain at night

Jazz band playing in a Flayosc street

Above. Flayosc hill top village from a distance

Left. The property is the on the far right of the picture

Cafe du Midi on the village square

Flayosc fountain

Flayosc street


Flayosc town hall

Flayosc café restaurant at night

Useful links

Cath Boutique
One of the many shops in the centre of Flayosc. An online Shop for all things provencal, Natural Soaps, Herbs de Provence, Ceramics, Tablecloths and Paintings

Découvrez Flayosc
Official website of Flayosc Village. In French.

Provence Web
Touristic Guide of Provence covering over 600 villages