Located at the gates of the Gorges du Verdon just three miles (five km) from the 5,436-acre (2,200 ha) lake of Sainte-Croix, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie has earned an international reputation for the finesse of its earthenware with unique decorations. Ranked among the most beautiful villages in France, Moustiers is built in an amphitheater shape at an altitude of 2,066 ft (630 m) between two rocky peaks linked by a chain adorned with a knight's star suspended 744 ft (227 m) above the ground. Also a place of pilgrimage, the village of 720 inhabitants constitutes one of the main points of interest of the Verdon region.