Main town of the canton since 1790.
Unification with the commune of Troins in the 15th Century, with Meouilles in 1837, and with Courchons in 1973.  At the junction of the main roads from the Riviera and the Southern Alps, St Andre les Alpes is situated in the middle of a mountain cirque formed in the valley where the Issole and Verdon rivers converge.
Surrounded by La Montagne de Morel, the pale ridge of the Crete de Serres and Chamatte, St. Andre les Alpes is the gateway to the chaotic gorges of the upper valley of the Verdon.
The village stretches languidly along its gentle valley up to the edge of the waters of the emerald Lac de Castillon, which lies between the green fringes of the surrounding mountains, in an exceptional microclimate.

It was in the 13th Century that the inhabitants of Meouilles left their homes in the hamlet called “Glaires” and founded St Andre in the area called La Placette today. Very soon the inhabitants had to struggle against the flooding of the two rivers to preserve the cultivable land.  They constructed the “Grand Canal”, which still exists today, and which was to become the basis of the booming economy of St Andre up to the 19th Century.

This prosperous and fertile valley, with its position as the axis of the area, was affected by every historical event up to the 17th Century.
It was hit by the plague in 1347, pillaged several times by bands of robbers and military campaigners, and subsequently taken by the troops of Charles V and the Duke of Savoy. Finally, religious wars, starting in Castellane in 1559, made enormous damaging inroads over the whole area, and the plague returned in 1580 and 1630.
In more peaceful times Saint Andre les Alpes suffered from the effects of erosion causing gullies and ravines.

Once again work began on containing the waters of the rivers, and along the Grand Canal four important drapery mills were constructed.  For nearly a hundred years this industry flourished greatly, employing a workforce of 250 people.  St Andre les Alpes counted 950 inhabitants at this time.
Competition sent this activity into decline little by little, and it has ceased completely
today.
In 1880 the Southern France Railway Company began construction of the Digne to Nice line.  For eleven years St Andre les Alpes was the end of the line and served the whole Verdon valley with a stage coach service.

At this period lavender production began to develop and St Andre les Alpes had quite a reputation for its essences. This industry also had difficulty beating off competition, especially from the discovery of synthetic essences and disappeared in its turn.
The construction of the dam at Castillon began in 1926 with war damage compensation, though was abandoned in 1933 but taken up again in 1942, being finished in 1947.  For the whole of this period most of the employment in the region was on this project, and the local businesses were given a new lease of life.

The forest fires in 1967 and 1982 destroyed part of the forests on Chalvet and Chamatte reducing the effect of the tree planting over the last 100 years to counteract erosion of the soil.  
However reforestation, the patient work of the foresters of the National Forestry Office and nature itself has seen the two great mountains become green again.  The forest road which was constructed after the fire on Chalvet has made possible the rapid development of two new activities: hang gliding and paragliding. St Andre les Alpes has attained a world wide reputation because of the exceptional quality of the air currents and the ease of access to the take off site, and hosts international competitions every year.

You can take part in most sports here and St Andre’s Mediterranean climate, moderated by the invigorating mountain air, will ensure that you enjoy your stay to the utmost.


Read (in French):““Tell me about Saint Andre”, by Andre Honnorat
and  ”, by Jean Montagnier.