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Origin and history

The Saint Lawrence Chapel of Moussan, located in the Aude in Occitanie, is a pre-Roman building built between the 6th and 9th centuries. It illustrates the architecture of Wisigothic tradition in Septimania, a region integrated with the wisigoth kingdoms of Toulouse (419-507) and then Toledo (507-711). His style, marked by horseshoe arches and deadly windows, makes him a rare witness of this period in Languedoc.

The chapel is built near a Gallo-Roman villa, Trencianum, whose stones were reused. Its origin could also be linked to a miraculous source, the Fount Rougnouso, known to cure skin diseases. Placed under the jurisdiction of the chapter of Narbonne Cathedral, it became a place of pilgrimage between Fontfroide Abbey and Fontcalvy Cistercian Farm.

In the 17th century, a hermitage was joined to the chapel, forming a small priory named Mouniélou. It disappeared in the early 20th century, leaving the site abandoned. In 1965, the Comité Saint-Laurent association purchased the premises and undertook major restorations, rebuilding the collapsed parts from old photographs. The chapel was inscribed in the Historical Monuments on December 27, 1966.

The interior architecture, remodeled in 2003, preserves a triumphal arch that is typically Wisigothic, while the exterior features a flat honeymoon bedside and a restored western facade. The white marble lintel, reused as a culvert in the 20th century, was replaced in 1965. Its origin remains debated: Gallo-Roman threshold, architrave basilica or element of the Capitol of Narbonne.

The chapel, isolated in the middle of the vineyards, today embodies a heritage preserved by volunteers. The remains of the hermitage, probably dated from the seventeenth century, recall its past as a place of recollection. The successive restorations (roof in 1996, bell in 1997, altar in 1998) allowed its preservation, while respecting its historical character.

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