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Origin and history

The Saint-Martin church of Lansargues, located in the Hérault region of Occitanie, finds its origins in the 12th century with a unique nave and apse. This primitive building, partially destroyed during the Wars of Religion in the late 16th century, preserves traces of its sculpted Romanesque decoration. The medieval extension includes two side chapels added in the 15th century, forming a false transept, while the Romanesque apse remains, today enclaved in the presbytery.

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the church, in ruins, was rebuilt by the bishop of Montpellier in 1701. The original plans, designed by architect Étienne Giral, were modified between 1729 and 1741 by master mason Sellier, under the advice of architect Rollin. The new building, completed in 1741, has a vaulted nave flanked by eight side chapels and a flat bedside. The bell tower, backed by nave and sacristy, combines an ancient base and an upper part dated 1745. The south façade, decorated with a triangular pediment and an oculus, also includes the old Romanesque door, a witness of the early church.

Ranked a Historical Monument in 1979, the church combines Romanesque elements (sculpted decorations, apse) with a classic 18th-century architecture, illustrated by its ionic pilasters, its entablement and its lateral chapels. The sacristy occupies the site of the former chapel Our Lady of the medieval building. The successive changes reflect stylistic developments and liturgical needs, from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

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