Notable Doors

Gassin is nestled in a verdant setting that enhances its medieval charm. From the 11th century onwards, the rocky spur provided refuge for inhabitants fleeing the insecurity of the coast and the plain. In the Middle Ages, the Saracen Gate marked the entrance to the fort around which Gassin was built.
Located on the western slope of the village, these gates date from the 15th to the 16th centuries. The oldest, exceptionally, bears the date 1422; the most recent is dated 1663.

The 1422 door is all the more remarkable because the date was engraved in modern numerals, the use of which was rare at that time for this type of use, the use being rather that of Roman numerals.


The stones used for these lintels are serpentine or basalt.

Serpentine, which is green, and basalt, which is grey or black, are metamorphic and volcanic rocks extracted from local quarries. Some of these quarries were still active at the end of the 19th century in the Gassin area.
They are a decorative element characteristic of the local identity.

The arches or lintels of the doorways of houses in Gassin built at the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the modern era often bore inscriptions, but only dates. In other areas, artistic motifs or religious inscriptions appear.
These architectural pieces used to support the walls above the walls are all keyed, with the exception of the door of the parish church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption whose monolithic lintel rests on two jambs.