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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame de Roubignac Chapel is a 12th-century Romanesque building located 3 km northwest of Octon, in the Hérault. Mentioned from the tenth century under the name Ecclesia S. Mariæ in villa Roviniaco, it would have been built by Saint Fulcran, bishop of Lodève. Its pre-roman tympanum and sculpted capitals (volutes, palmettes, characters) illustrate a transition towards the Gothic, visible in its foothills and tab vault.

The site of Roubignac, which was cited in 804 under Villa Rubia in the cartular of the Gellone Abbey, became a rural church in the 14th century. Ranked a historical monument in 1954, the chapel is distinguished by its rectangular bell tower with campanary bays and its southern gate adorned with a patted cross framed by two ornaments. Its pentagonal bedside, arched in cul-de-four, and carved capital doubles testify to its medieval architectural importance.

The chapel lost its parish status in 1308, when its faithful were attached to the priory of Lauzières. Its tympanum, originally attributed to the 10th or 11th century by 19th century researchers, is now considered a pre-Roman element integrated into the construction of the 12th century. The building, a communal property, retains traces of its central role in local religious life, between Carolingian heritage and Romanesque innovations.

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