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Origin and history

The Collège Notre-Dame de Barjols, also known as Collège Sainte-Marie or Saint-Marcel, is a religious building built in the 14th century on the foundations of an 11th century Romanesque church, originally entrusted to the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Victor of Marseille. She became a collegiate bishop in 1062 under the impulse of Raimbaud de Reillanne, archbishop of Arles, and today she preserves a Romanesque tympanum of Christ in majesty surrounded by the symbols of the evangelists, as well as the remains of her early 13th century cloister. The Gothic nave, added in the 16th century, and the lateral chapels, erected in the 17th century, illustrate its architectural evolution, while a 1656 organ bears witness to its rich furniture heritage.

The French Revolution left a visible mark on the front door, surmounted by a painted inscription proclaiming republican values: "French Republic Freedom, Equality, Fraternity". Partially classified as historical monuments in 1979, the collegiate house houses a square bell tower with a campanile with four historic bells, the oldest of which, founded in 1529 by Antoine Richieud, bears an inscription dedicated to Saint Marcel, patron saint of Barjols. This bell, decorated with medallions and gothic friezes, is a rare example of 16th century campanary art still in place.

The interior of the college reveals remarkable furniture, classified as historical monuments. Major pieces include 1595 baptismal fonts, 16th century mercies stalls, and a wrought iron choir fence of 1818. Paintings, such as Saint Ursule and Saint Catherine of Alexandria attributed to Michel Serre (17th century), are accompanied by sculptures such as a bust-reliquary of St Marcel (1805) and a Virgin with the Child of the 18th-18th century hinge. The stained glass windows, some dated 1879 (signed Champigneulle), complete this artistic ensemble.

The site also preserves traces of its medieval past, such as the Romanesque tympanum and the relics of Saint Marcel, arrived in Barjols around the fourteenth century. These elements underline the spiritual and community role of the college, marked by centuries of devotion and architectural adaptations, from the Romanesque to the revolutionary period.

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