Places and monuments The
Dalle à ammonites, a classified site, is a rocky layer dating back 200 million years, where one can find more than 1,500 fossils of
ammonites containing some which reach a diameter of .
Religious architecture The commune maintains a southern aspect and has remarkable heritage items including two cathedrals, an archaeological crypt under the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-du-Bourg [Our Lady of the City], the chapels (Saint Pancrace, Our Lady of Lourdes, etc.) The , an
historical monument, is a
Romanesque cathedral whose foundations date back to the 9th century. Victim of numerous attacks and looting, it was renovated at the beginning of the 13th century. Parts from the 11th and 12th centuries still exist. Its white marble altar is of the
Merovingian era. An archaeological crypt in the basement of the cathedral aids in the discovery of the history of Digne-les-Bains. In the crypt is the exact location of the origins of the city, attested by the presence of ancient walls from the 1st century AD. This corresponds to an urban space and implementation of three buildings of Christianity from the 5th century to the 11th century. The
Saint-Jérôme Cathedral, also an historical monument, is a
Gothic cathedral from the 15th and 16th centuries. The facade is from the 19th century. File:FR-04-Digne01.JPG|The façade of Notre-Dame-du-Bourg File:FR-04-Digne08.JPG|The façade of the cathedral of Saint-Jérome The Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes Church was built in 1870 on the Mountain of the Cross, north of Digne, though at the bottom of the slope. The brick walls are its main feature, with its large size. The chapel of Saint-Vincent belonged to an abbey or
priory. It is still in good condition. There is also a chapel of Saint-Pierre, south of the village, an establishment which may be very old.
Civil and military architecture • The remains of fortifications can be recognised if one pays attention to the plan of the old town around the central district, built on the heights. Some of the walls and some towers which surrounded the city from the 14th century can still be seen. These remains of ramparts are currently based in the landscape of the dwellings. • Hotel Thoron de la Robine from the 17th century • from 1829, which is an
historical monument • The sculptures. From 1983 to 1991, an annual international event of sculpture revealed international talent. Award-winning works, in
Carrara marble, adorn roundabouts, squares and public gardens.
Culture • The and its butterfly garden. • The is a modern museum enabling the public to move from art to science, and from the old to the contemporary, across a route in time. Its archaeology section was founded in 1889. • CAIRN is an informal art of nature Research Center. • The Museum of the
Second World War contains documents and period objects evoking the strategic role of Digne in alpine defense and the damage suffered. • Intercommunal library of the Trois Vallées • The Museum of
Alexandra David-Néel, located in • The
Botanic Garden of Les Cordeliers Cultural references • Digne is a setting for much of the first section of
Victor Hugo's 1862 novel
Les Misérables, where it is the home of
Bishop Myriel. In early English editions, the town's name was rendered D----. The town is left unnamed in most stage and film adaptations. • The asteroid
10088 Digne was named after the town by its discoverer, Belgian astronomer
Eric Walter Elst.
Traditional celebrations Digne celebrates
lavender, a symbol of the region, in the first weekend of August, at the
Corso of lavender. A funfair is installed for the occasion, and a
fireworks display is organized. A parade of floats is held, including a procession consisting of a dozen floats in lavender and crepon, led by 500 musicians and dancers from various nations. The
Corso draws 10–15,000 people to the town each day. Image:Char du corso de la lavande à Digne.jpg|A float of lavender at the
Corso in Digne Image:Miss Corso lors du Corso de la lavande à Digne.jpg|Miss Corso at the Corso of Lavender in Digne Image:Corso de Digne char devant la statue de Gassendi.jpg|A Corso float before the statue of Gassendi in Digne
Arts festivals In May, every year since 2002, the city has organized a festival of urban culture and music. Initiated by the
Ligue de l’Enseignement des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence [League of education of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence] and the L'ADSEA. The festival is now organized by the
École du sous Sol [School of the Underground] association. The objective of this festival is to make urban culture (
graffiti,
slam,
street basketball,
hip-hop dance,
skateboarding) known to a wider public along with contemporary music (
rap,
rock,
pop,
electro) through various artistic and cultural events under the program. A sports tournament closes the event. The Hip Hop dance battle and the basketball tournament are open to girls (two girls and two boys by team for the 4 vs 4 battle and at least one girl by team for the 3 vs 3 basketball tournament). An open stage is offered to amateur and semi-professional teams. Every spring, each year, the René-Char cultural centre receives cinema personalities and projects art and test films at the
Festival les Rencontres cinématographiques de Digne. Its president is Jean-Pierre Castagna.
Sports competitions Each year since 2004, the [Raid of the Black Lands]
mountain biking event brings together more than a thousand participants. Image:TERRES NOIRES.jpg|A mountain biking track along the crest of a hill Image:Raid des Terres noires 2011.jpg|A mountain biker negotiates a tricky turn From 2013, the VTT Rando 04 club organizes the Enduro of the Black Lands,
Enduro event. Created in 1999 by The Athletic Club of Digne, the Half-marathon of the Ammonites connects the village of Barles with the prefecture at the beginning of September, each year until 2002. Its rolling course, measured at according to the protocols of the French Athletics Federation, goes through the most spectacular sites of the , some of which are world-renowned. Examples of these include the
clues of Barles and Péouré, the
Vélodrome d’Esclangon [Velodrome of Escanglon],
Voile de Facibelle [Veil of Facibelle], the
Demoiselles coiffées, the
Ichthyosaur, and the
Dalle à ammonites. It has been awarded two borders by the guide
Le Bipède [The Biped]. It welcomed more than 1,550 runners in 4 editions. This sporting event had its a 5th edition in 2013 on the 100th anniversary of the Barles road and in favour of the , in memory of Cyril Gues, the first winner of this competition, who died in 2012. Initiated in 2005 by the Athletic Club of Digne (one edition), the Trail of Cousson was resumed in 2008 by the Athletics Association. The race walking event offers numerous courses in the heart of the Haute-Provence geological Reserve through (the famous "muck"), pre-Alpine forests, villages and ascents of the bar of the Dourbes and . Free racing and animations for children as well as heritage walks are also organized parallel to sports competitions. The event also fits into an exemplary sustainable development policy which gives it national recognition.
Heraldry These arms are not attested before the 17th century and the above composition is only one variant among many others existing. The "L" can be gold and can be replaced by silver lions. There are also versions without the golden "L" or lion:
"azure to a fleur de lis of gold, accompanied at head by a cross of silver with a letter "D" of the same at the point". The latest version is
"azure to a cross of gold at head and a "D" of the same at head". The cross is an evocation of the episcopal see, and the "L", perhaps, is a souvenir of a concession of
Louis II of Anjou, from the beginning of the 15th century. Gabriel Gillybœuf proposed in the early 1980s to replace the capitalised "D" with a fountain expressed in heraldic terms by
"a bezant fess, wavy silver and azure" (while maintaining the cross, fleur-de-lis, and capitalised "L" respectively). The city was jointly owned by the Counts of
Provence and the Bishops of
Digne. Hence the arms: The cross symbolises the bishopric, the
fleur-de-lis as
Charles of Anjou, Count of Provence. The
letter "D" is the letter of the city. The
letters "L" have been added under
Louis XIV, King of France, Count of Provence and Forcalquier. == Notable people ==