Port Grimaud
Often referred to as the “Venice of Provence” Port Grimaud is the delightful town in the bay of Saint Tropezinspired by the Venetian canals, and is the brain child of highly respected and influential architect Fran?ois Spoerry. Some serious persuading was required before the project finally grew up from the marshy reed beds as Spoerry’s plan was seen by many to be a step too far from the forward thinking architect. But since the completion of Port Grimaud I in the 1960s, such was it’s immediate success that Port Grimaud II swiftly followed and in the 1990s Port Grimaud III was completed. The latter two share the Port Grimaud Sud port entrance and the main square in Port Grimaud II and are collectively known as Port Grimaud Sud. Fran?ois Spoerry lived in his beloved town until his death in 1999 and the town is now listed as a town of international special interest and will be carefully preserved for the generations to come.
Spoerry designed and built the church of St Francis of Assisi in Port Grimaud I, here he used stained glass designed by Victor Vasarley which famously depicts the phases of the sun in his modern geometric art. It is in this church that Francois Spoerry is laid to rest and a plaque in his honour is displayed on the wall of the town hall in Place Francois Spoerry. The Family coat of arms was also built into the bridge that joins the Place du Marche with the Place d’Eglise.