Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Salau is a 12th-century Romanesque building, located in the village of Salau, in the commune of Couflens, in Ariège. Built by the hospitals of the order of Saint John of Jerusalem, it is distinguished by its architectural simplicity: a unique nave extended by a bedside, and a two-storey bell tower decorated with carved capitals. Its location, 845 meters above sea level on the Salat, makes it the highest church in the valley.

On November 6, 1982, a devastating flood of the Salat, growing by its tributary the Cugnet Creek, took the nave and the bedside. These elements are reconstructed identically under the direction of the architect of the Bâtiments de France, thus preserving the authenticity of the monument. The church, classified as historical monuments since 4 April 1911, houses an adjoining cemetery and bears witness to the medieval history of hospitals in Couseran.

A permanent exhibition today traces the history of Notre-Dame de Salau and its link with the order of Saint John of Jerusalem. The site, owned by the commune of Couflens, remains a remarkable example of Pyrenean Romanesque architecture, marked by natural hazards and conservation efforts. The remains of the missing monastic buildings, formerly adjacent to the church, recall its convental past.

External links