Col de Castillon - Site of the old village

Col de Castillon. Site of two ancient villages of Castillon, with the remains of the old church. A loop allows to make the tour of the old village. Magnificent panoramic view. Starting point of hikes and pass appreciated by cyclists.
"Castillionum" was created in 1157 by the Consuls of Sospel to protect the Sospel people from Lombard and Saracen invasions.
the Sospel people from Lombard and Saracen invasions.
Castillon then became the property of the Counts of Ventimiglia, the Consul Vento de Menton before being attached to the Lord of the Consul Vento of Menton before being attached again to the Lord of Sospel.
In 1348, the village became part of the Principality of Monaco then, in 1376, it was once again the property of the Lord of Sospel, then under the domination of the House of Savoy. In 1793, Castillon became French. An earthquake destroyed the village on 23 February 1887.
In the 1930s, a Maginot Line fort was built under the ruins of the village
of a fort of the Maginot line intended to stop the possible Italian attacks. This fort was only used for a few days in June 1940. It was nevertheless.
Nevertheless, it was the target of Allied bombing raids in 1944 to repel German troops.It should be noted that the cross on the former Place Saint Joseph was stolen between the two world wars and was recently put back in place (May 2010).
Rebuilt on almost the same site, below, in 1888, the village of Castillon
was bombed in 1944 by the Allied fleet in order to liberate the area then occupied
by German and Italian forces. As the Fort was a potential target in the years following the end of the war, the years after the end of the war, no one was allowed to resettle and the village was razed to the ground.