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Origin and history

The Saint-Michel de Guzargues church, located in the Hérault region of Occitanie, is a Romanesque building built in the middle of the 12th century. Mentioned for the first time in 1111, it was built of cut stone, with a bedside decorated with carved columns and a tympanum representing Saint Michael weighing souls. This tympanum, although partially damaged, is surrounded by a decoration of flowered rinseaux and surmounted by an adorned archvolt, testifying to the Languedoc Romanesque art.

Inside, the choir retained a Romanesque structure, but it was completely redecorated with stuccos in the 18th century. The nave, vaulted in a cradle, and the chorus span present arches in full hanger and capitals adorned with acanthe leaves or floral motifs. The triumphal arch, supported by massive columns, and the gypseries of the sanctuary illustrate the Baroque transformations brought to the medieval building.

The church was listed as a historical monument on 11 October 1971. Its history is related to the bishopric of Maguelone, which has held its rights since the tenth century. In 1248, the bishop transferred the parish to the local prior, subject to annual rent. The building, without side chapels, is distinguished by its architectural unity and its preserved Romanesque elements, such as the absidial window with double ebrasing or the capitals molded from the nave.

The southern portal, although partially redone, preserves its original novel tympanum, illustrating the weighing of souls by Saint Michael, a rare iconographic theme in the region. The ravens intended to support diagonal arches, now absent, and the o-ring columns recall the artistic influences of Montpellier (opus monspeliensis). The 18th century gypsy decorations, added above the Romanesque cornice, reflect the evolution of liturgical tastes.

The villa of Guzargues, mentioned in 922, was attached to the church of Maguelone in 990, then confirmed in the episcopal privileges of 1153. In the 16th century, the site was both parish, priory and tithery, dependent on the archiprired of Assas. The absence of side chapels and the unique nave, divided into three spans, underline the simplicity of the initial plan, typical of the small rural Romanesque churches of Languedoc.

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