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Origin and history

Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth de Trets Church, located in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, is a parish church built in the 11th or 12th century. Its main nave, of Romanesque style, is distinguished by a polygonal bedside decorated with a Lombard frieze, with carved crows representing geometric shapes or anthropomorphic and animal figures. This architectural style is characteristic of Provencal Romanesque art, marked by Lombardic influences from Northern Italy.

In the 14th century, the heirs of Bertrand Bezaudun, Archbishop of Genoa, built a side chapel dedicated to Saint John in a Gothic style. This chapel is surmounted, between the end of the 15th century and 1520, by a bell tower that dominates the building. The church underwent further modifications over the centuries: a new lateral chapel was added in the 17th century, and the facade, with a pediment, was built in the 18th century.

Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth Church has been listed as a historic monument since 1945, recognizing its exceptional heritage value. Part of its furniture, including 17th century elements, has also been classified since 1911 and 1914. The building bears witness to the architectural and religious evolution of Trets, from the Middle Ages to the modern era, and remains a central place in the spiritual and cultural life of the municipality.

In the 17th century, the artist Christophe Veyrier, sculptor and pupil of Pierre Puget, realized the marble altarpiece of Carrara of the church, adding a major artistic dimension to this monument. This altarpiece illustrates the importance of Trets as a cultural and religious home in Provence, as well as the links between the local craftsmen and the great masters of the time.

The church is part of a broader historical context, that of a prosperous medieval city, surrounded by ramparts and marked by the presence of a Jewish community and powerful religious institutions, such as the Saint-Victor Abbey of Marseille. These elements underline the central role of the church in the social and spiritual structure of Trets throughout the centuries.

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