This commemorative plaque was installed in memory of Fernand Bessy, a Maximois resident who died in tragic circumstances on 15 August 1944. The young man lost his life under fire from a Thompson submachine gun, mistakenly discharged by an American commando who mistook him for a German soldier as he ran along the barrier wall of the ‘Pilon’ farm. This terrible outcome is all the more poignant given that eleven months earlier, Fernand's father, Louis Bessy, had also been killed by the Germans in similar circumstances.

A vestige of the Allied landings, the metal structure of the Sherman tank has been rising out of the sand on La Nartelle beach after every major storm for decades. In December 2011, for safety reasons, the town undertook to completely remove the American armoured unit from the sand and move it. The tank - which weighs around 30 tonnes - was then immersed for several weeks in the harbour to slow down the oxidation process, then cleaned and treated so that it could be displayed to the public. On Wednesday 23 October 2013, in the presence of members of the Town Council and patriotic associations, the Sherman tank was given back its history and its place. Installed near the Nartelle beach, it bears witness to a history that we don't want to forget, and is a symbol of a freedom that was dearly won back.

This immersion takes you back to the summer of 1944, the time of the Second World War, the Provence Landings and the return of peace. Mireille, Claude, Jean-Pierre, Xavier, Robert... are all Maximois, witnesses to our history. Experience the Provence Landings through their moving, moving and hope-filled accounts, and travel through time to the emblematic sites of Sainte-Maxime.

Discover Provençal gastronomy through an immersive guided tour. Between culinary traditions and ancestral know-how, explore the history of a cuisine rooted in its terroir and turned towards the future. An invitation to savor the soul of Provence. Ready for a unique immersion? Book your place now!

On August 15, Sainte-Maxime invites you to live a day of commemoration and celebration. The morning will be marked by a patriotic ceremony, a solemn tribute to the historical events that have marked our region. An emotional moment, where the city pays tribute to those who made history. In the afternoon, party with popular entertainment for the whole family, before meeting up in the evening for a big ball outdoors, accompanied by a live orchestra. The atmosphere will be there to dance under the stars and enjoy a festive and friendly evening. The day will end with a magnificent fireworks, fired from the sea and visible from the beach of downtown Luc Provensal, to celebrate this symbolic date in an explosion of light.

This immersion takes you back to the summer of 1944, the time of the Second World War, the Provence Landings and the return of peace. Mireille, Claude, Jean-Pierre, Xavier, Robert... are all Maximois, witnesses to our history. Experience the Provence Landings through their moving, moving and hope-filled accounts, and travel through time to the emblematic sites of Sainte-Maxime.

Discover Provençal gastronomy through an immersive guided tour. Between culinary traditions and ancestral know-how, explore the history of a cuisine rooted in its terroir and turned towards the future. An invitation to savor the soul of Provence. Ready for a unique immersion? Book your place now!

Discover Provençal gastronomy through an immersive guided tour. Between culinary traditions and ancestral know-how, explore the history of a cuisine rooted in its terroir and turned towards the future. An invitation to savor the soul of Provence. Ready for a unique immersion? Book your place now!

The Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal chapel forms an ensemble with the independent sandstone staircase, which bridges the difference in level between Avenue Mireille and the median strip on which it is built. A small oratory is built into the retaining wall, in sandstone like the six rows of rounded steps to the west, allowing the site to be used as a summer chapel. The chapel itself is built of concrete. The rendering makes it impossible to tell whether it is reinforced concrete or concrete blocks. The roof is made of hollow tiles. The interior consists of a rectangular, transverse nave with a low barrel vault and a long-sloped roof. The nave is preceded by a vaulted vestibule with a shed roof resting on the gable wall. Inside, two unplastered sandstone rubble pillars support the lintel supporting the gable. To the west, the apse The semi-circular apse is vaulted with a depressed cul-de-four, covered by a polygonal hipped roof. The choir is separated from the from the outside only by glass closures that can be folded back to create a link with the tiers of the summer chapel. summer chapel. The movable walls are supported by two matching stone pillars. The altar is in ashlar. The bell tower occupies a square structure built against the south facade. The ground floor, accessible from the nave, houses the sacristy. It is covered by a flat roof topped by a wrought-iron bell tower. Testimony of Xavier LALEY : Xavier Laley is 17 years old. On 15 August, he was sleeping with his mother, Marthe, in their villa on the Domaine de la Nartelle. Suddenly, bolts of lightning ripped through the sky. Shells rained down. They get out. Another shell. Everything collapses. They are buried alive. ‘Lying on the beach with my mother, we watched the whole of the landings. landing. Despite our suffering, which was eased by regular injections, we witnessed a fascinating, unforgettable, unbelievable spectacle. The sea was covered with boats, barges were laid out on which men, tanks and equipment were unloaded. We were at the centre of the action. We were in the middle of the soldiers coming and going. It all seemed to be regulated with infinite precision. Airships floated in the sky to prevent air attacks. It was at the instigation of Marthe Laley and her husband that the chapel at La Nartelle, a veritable ex-voto, was built as a sign of thanks.

They bear witness to the soldiers who fought, many of them risking their lives, and to all the Allies who landed on our shores to give us back our freedom. Monuments and commemorative steles have been erected in Sainte-Maxime, so that we never forget. In 1961, this monument replaced a statue of a woman brandishing a sword, erected in 1949. Built with the help of the Rhine and Danube Association, it bears the number 1 because it was intended to be the starting point of a signposted route from the Côte de Provence to the point where French troops crossed the Rhine. It also commemorates the liberation of the town of Sainte-Maxime on the evening of 15 August by the forces of the 45th American Infantry Division. On 23 February 1950, the Town Council approved the creation of La Borne N°1 de la Voie Libératrice, a work by sculptor Jean Portal. His plaster model remained on the harbour quay for several years, before the project was finally abandoned.