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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel of Saint-Martin-de-la-Salle, located in Villasavary in Aude, is a religious building dating back to the 12th century. Mentioned from this period, it was partially destroyed in 1588 during the wars of religion, before being restored in the seventeenth century. Its architecture combines a unique nave vaulted in a cradle and a semicircular bedside, typical of Romanesque art, with baroque additions such as a marble table of Caunes and a polychrome decoration of the choir.

The chapel played a central role in local parish life until the French Revolution. The cult was forbidden in 1793, but it reopened in 1847 after work. Disused today, it preserves traces of troubled times: the Crusade of Simon de Montfort, riding the Black Prince, and religious wars. Its inscription in historic monuments in 1999 underscores its heritage importance.

The site, owned by the commune, houses remarkable furniture elements, including 17th century statues and a marble altarpiece installed in the 18th century. Its location on a wooded hill and its turbulent history make it an emblematic place of memory of medieval and modern Occitanie.

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