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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Villars-sur-Var found its origins in the 13th century, linked to a first construction by the Templars, then owners of a commandery in the village. The order, expelled from Provence in 1310, gave way to the Grimaldi family, who inherited Villars via the marriage of Andaron Grimaldi with Asturge Rostragni, heiress of the Lord of Beuil. In 1388, the seigneury was officially recognized in the Grimaldi by Amédée VII de Savoie, making Villars their principal residence until the execution of Annibal Grimaldi in 1621, marking the end of their domination over Beuil County. The present building, completed around 1520, reflects a late Gothic tinted with Lombardic and Provencal influences, close to the style of the college of Tende.

The bell tower, moved to the south in 1766, adopted a Provençal Romanesque style, while major restorations took place in 1891: the Ticino artist Luigi Adami added trompe l'oeil frescoes and arabesques in troubadour Gothic style. The false camera sets, made in the 1980s under the direction of the Architects des Bâtiments de France, complete these embellishments. The church houses a remarkable artistic heritage, including polyptychs of the 16th and 18th centuries, statues classified (such as that of Saint John the Baptist by Mathieu of Antwerp, 1524), and a cylinder organ of 1816, classified in 1999.

The building, registered with the Historical Monuments since 1983, bears witness to the political and artistic transitions of the region, from Templars to Grimaldi, through Savoyard and Provencal influences. His works of art, such as the polyptych of the Annunciation (circa 1515) or the painting of Saint Joseph (1732, offered after an epidemic), illustrate his central role in the religious and community life of Villars-sur-Var, marked by donations and local sponsors, including Baron Honoré I of Beuil (polyptych of 1524).

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