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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Florent, located in Orange in the Vaucluse, is an ancient Franciscan chapel built in the early 14th century. It illustrates the rules of the Narbon constitutions of 1260, proper to the order of the Cordeliers, while bearing the traces of the destruction suffered during the wars of Religion. Fired in 1561 by the Huguenots, it escaped a total destruction 18 years later, when it was envisaged to erect a wheat mill there. Its reconstruction in the seventeenth century marked the gradual return of Catholic life to the region, while its cloister, added in the eighteenth century, perpetuated traditional monastic models.

The building played a central role in local history, serving as a burial place for the lords of the Baux before being transformed into barracks, attic, stable and prison during the French Revolution. Reopened to worship in 1803 and erected as a parish in 1844, it was dedicated to Saint Florent, bishop of Orange in the sixth century, whose relics are shared with the Italian city of Fidentia. The western façade, remodeled in the 19th century, has a sharp gable crowned with a metal balustrade, which is a witness to subsequent changes.

Ranked a historic monument in 2018, the church retains protected elements such as the cloister galleries, the meadow, and a covered passage to the Old Hospital Street. Its architecture thus reflects almost seven centuries of history, between Franciscan heritage, Baroque reconstructions and modern adaptations. Today, the property belongs to the commune of Orange, in the department of Vaucluse, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d.

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