The architecture of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a reminder of the role it played as the capital of a bailiwick from the 14th century and a viguerie in the 16th century. Prosperous, the city then sheltered families of bourgeois and nobles whose houses with portals decorated with embossed stones, doors surmounted by accoladed arches, mullioned windows, twin bays, dated and carved lintels opened on Rue Grande, the main street. Saint-Paul-de-Vence's wash houses, wells, and fountains still bear witness to the daily life of the village of yesteryear.