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Origin and history

The former parish church of St Peter, known as the Chapel of the Castle, is a medieval building located in Marguerittes, Occitanie. Built between the 15th and 16th centuries, it incorporates defensive elements such as crows on a southeast tower, suggesting a fortification in the 14th century. His almost square plan, with a nave and a semicircular bedside destroyed in 1884, reveals traces of a primitive building potentially dating back to the twelfth century, although this dating remains hypothetical without archaeological excavations.

The chapel, originally seigneurial, is mentioned in a papal bubble of Adrien IV in 1156 as a parish church. It suffered major damage during the Wars of Religion (Protestant takeover in 1570, Catholic takeover in 1573), requiring repairs between 1603 and 1609, date engraved on a pillar with the initials EI LEZOIVN. An inscription of 1606 on the gate and another of 1668 in the frame attest to successive reconstructions, possibly linked to fires or religious instability.

In the 19th century, the building was restored (Western oculus repaired in 1804, gallery added in 1811) and controversial expansion projects, such as that of 1852 proposing a reorientation towards the Place du Calvaire. Finally, a new church was built according to the plans of Henri Révoil (1866), and the old one, sold in 1884 to Jules Privat for 3,200 francs, was now fully protected since 2015. Its decor includes dogive vaulted chapels (Saint Joseph, Saint Marguerite) and a funeral liter near the gate.

The church illustrates local religious tensions: although the centre of opposition between Catholics and Protestants, no source confirms its use as a Reformed temple. Its transformation into a parish chapel in 1620 by Charles de Gevaudan marked its pivotal role in the community, especially after the destruction of Notre-Dame de l'Agarne church in 1691, justifying the addition of a gallery to accommodate more faithful.

Potential excavations near the destroyed bedside could shed light on its early history, linked to the 1121 castrum. The carefully carved bellows of the west and south facades, perhaps in use, and the defensive remains recall its dual religious and strategic use, typical of the seigneurial buildings in Languedoc during medieval and modern conflicts.

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