Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame de la Gayolle chapel, located in the municipality of La Celle in the Var, is a religious building whose origins date back to the end of the fifth century. It was erected on the remains of a villa from the 5th to the 6th centuries, attested by archaeological excavations. This first building, rectangular with a nave and a flat bedside, was rapidly enlarged by lateral annexes forming a transept. Burials in sarcophagus and under tiles were carried out until the end of the sixth century. The site retained a religious function until the 14th century, before becoming a bastide dependent on the Abbey of La Celle.

A second church, built west of the first church, has a single nave vaulted in a cradle and an apse in a hemicycle. It incorporates ancient architectural elements re-used as decoration. In 1628 Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc discovered two sculpted sarcophagi, named after Innodius and Syagria, suggesting a desire for burial. The excavations, carried out in 1912–13 by Mr. Chaillan, then by Fernand Benoit (1949–1954) and Gabrielle Demians d'Archimbaud (1964–1970), revealed the evolution of the site.

Ranked a historical monument in 1952, the chapel illustrates the transition between late antiquity and the Middle Ages in Provence. Its architecture blends ancient materials with medieval adaptations, while its history reflects local religious and funeral practices over nearly nine centuries. Successive archaeological research has documented its continued occupation, from the Gallo-Roman villa to its integration into the neighbouring abbey.

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