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Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Marguerite de Carcès, located in the Var, finds its origins in a first church founded in 1085 and consecrated in 1152 by Pope Eugene III. This building, in ruins in the 18th century, was replaced in 1779 by the chapel of the Augustines, which was built between 1561 and 1573 under the impulse of the lord Jean V of Pontevès. In late Romanesque style, it has a Renaissance portal and a private chapel for the Countess, now gone but whose wall remains.

The chapel of the Augustins became the parish church in 1781, after the abandonment of the old church and the chapel of the White Penitents. In 1676, relics of the saints Victor, Constant and Liberat were deposited there, leading to their representation on the 19th century portal. The building, dedicated to Saint Marguerite after the Revolution, was enlarged in the 19th century with side chapels, a stand, and an elevated bell tower to house a bell of 1546, classified as a historical monument in 1981.

In the 19th century, the church underwent major changes: the addition of side chapels, the construction of a stand, and the extension of the bell tower by four meters to improve the audibility of the bell, founded by Jean de Pontevès. Two other bells, Marguerite (1847) and Florence (1950), completed the whole. The current organ, rebuilt between 1989 and 2006, incorporates elements of the original instrument. Today, the parish is entrusted to the Saint John Community by the bishop of Fréjus-Toulon.

The history of the church reflects the religious and architectural evolutions of Carcès, marked by seigneurial influences (family of Pontevès) and liturgical adaptations. Its bell tower and portal, witness to these transformations, make it an emblematic monument of the Var heritage.

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