Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Abbey of the Madonna-des-Prés was a Catholic priory founded in the 4th quarter of the 11th century, mentioned in 1075 as a dependency of the Abbey of Saint-Pons of Nice. It was given to the latter by the sons of the Viscount Raimbaud of Nice, including Pierre (Bishop of Sisteron then Vaison), Laugier le Roux and Rostan, as well as their cousin Laugier-Rostaing. This place of worship, first in the municipality of Levens, illustrates primitive Romanesque art and was confirmed as well monastic by Pope Innocent IV in 1247.

In 1109, Laugier, Viscount of Nice, gave up his fief de Levens to Saint-Pons, who kept it until it was bought in 1251 by Charles d'Anjou, Count of Provence. In the 14th century, the priory was united with that of Saint-Blaise. Sold as a national good during the Revolution, the church lost its facade and part of its apsidioles. Today, only bedside and crypt remain, the latter being the best preserved. The building, transformed into a dwelling, was classified as a historic monument in 1965.

Architecturally, the Madonna-des-Prés lies between the churches of Valdeblore and Villevieille, according to historian Jacques Thirion. Its crypt, semi-entered and arched, forms a rectangle finished with a hemicycle. The vestiges, integrated into modern buildings, bear witness to its past importance as the first place of Levenese worship. Excavations and studies, such as those of Archchaam (2011), have made it possible to clarify its history and structure.

External links