Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Julien de Miramas, located in the cemetery of Miramas-le-Vieux, is an ancient parish church of the medieval castrum. This 12th century Romanesque monument originally belonged to the abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseilles before being ceded to the abbey of Montmajour by the king of Provence Conrad I of Arles. Its history is marked by ecclesiastical conflicts, especially between the Archbishop of Aix and the monks of Montmajour, solved by papal bubbles in the 12th century.

In 1118, an agreement ended the disputes concerning the churches of Miramas, confirmed in 1123 by Pope Calixte II. The possessions of Montmajour on the castrum are reaffirmed by several popes, including Urban II and Eugene III in 1152. Foulques de Cabannes, Prior of Miramas, became Abbé de Montmajour in 1193. The chapel, still in use in the 17th century, was classified as a historical monument in 1928.

Architecturally, the chapel is 11 meters long (including apse) for 5.50 meters wide. Its Romanesque portal, adorned with a string of stars, and a niche dating from 1701 housing a statue of St Julien, testify to its stylistic evolution. Surrounded by the cemetery, it dominates the south of the castrum, a vestige of the medieval organization of the village.

The chapel illustrates the links between religious power and seigneurial power in Provence. Its inscription in 1928 underscores its heritage value, while its "decent" state attested to in the seventeenth century reflects a cultural continuity despite the transformations. The archives also mention donations from Adelaide de Bourgogne, sister of Conrad I, linked to Emperor Otto I.

External links