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Origin and history

The Romanesque bell tower of Isola is the only vestige of the ancient church of St Peter, built in the twelfth century in the village of Isola, in the Alpes-Maritimes. This monument, 16 metres high with a pyramidal arrow, is distinguished by its square section of 3.80 meters side and its bays mothed in the middle hanger on the upper floor. It was allegedly built by a travelling masonry workshop, reflecting the artistic exchanges of the period between Provence and neighbouring Italy.

The church of St Peter, on which the bell tower depended, was placed under the authority of the chapter of the cathedral of Nice. In the 16th century, it was abandoned after a flood caused by the Guerche or a torrent, leading the community to turn to the church of St.Antoine, then to the present church of St.Peter's Links in 1682. Despite the ruin of the original building, the inhabitants of Isola chose to preserve the bell tower, a symbol of their religious and historical heritage.

Ranked as historical monuments on 15 January 1908, the Romanesque bell tower of Isola illustrates the local attachment to a fragile medieval heritage. Its sober architecture, marked by Lombard influences, makes it a rare testimony of the 12th century Provencal rural churches. Today, there remains a major visual and cultural landmark in the landscape of Isola, managed by the municipality.

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