FIG. 193. ST CÉSAIRE, ANCIENT GATEWAY.
It is therefore necessary to return to the main road, itself sufficiently winding and romantic, along which a further course of eight to nine miles conducts to Montauroux and Callian. The whole journey there and back to Grasse thus extends to about thirty-seven miles, but can easily be accomplished in one day with a pair of the hardy ponies of the country.
The main road from Grasse descends by numerous wide loops towards the valley, and skirts the lofty mountains on the right, where several picturesque looking villages are seen clustering on the hillsides.
At Tignet the ruins of an ancient commandery of the templars are passed, but there is nothing of architectural interest sufficient to detain the traveller till St Césaire, amongst its remote and snow-clad hills, is reached.
FIG. 194. AT ST CÉSAIRE.
The town of St Césaire is charmingly situated about nine miles west from Grasse. It stands on the edge of a lofty precipice overlooking the valley of the Siagne, which is here full of remarkable scenery and interesting grottoes and fountains, forming a romantic region, from which starts the aqueduct which supplies fresh water to Cannes and Antibes. St Césaire possesses still some remains of its ancient walls and gates ([Fig. 193]), some quaint pieces of carving over doorways etc. ([Fig. 194]). But its most interesting feature architecturally, is the ancient church which stands in its quiet churchyard outside the town, relieved against a background of snowy mountains ([Fig. 195]). It is similar in its Cistertian simplicity to those of Cannes and Vallauris, and differs only in having, instead of plain pilasters, rounded vaulting shafts, with simple caps and bases ([Fig. 196]), the former very similar to those of Thoronet. The church is 45 feet long by 20 wide ([Fig. 197]), divided into three bays, with apse 9 feet deep to the eastward. As at Vallauris there are two doors, one at the west end and one in the south side, the latter pointed externally and round internally. The windows have round arches, with the usual deep external splay, at the inner edge of which the opening is narrowed by two half roll mouldings, probably with a view to prevent draughts in this lofty and exposed region. For the same reason there are only three very small windows, two on the south side and one in the apse.
