Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of the White Penitents of Rabastens originated in the foundation of the brotherhood of the same name around 1600. Originally installed in the church of Saint Michael, in 1616 the brotherhood benefited from the gift of a house with garden by Gabriel Dumas, on whose site the present church was built. This place of worship, rectangular, is distinguished by a facade framed by two turrets housing the stairs of the bell tower, as well as a specially designed western gate, now classified as a Historical Monument.

The gate, a central element of the decoration, occupies the space between the posts of an arc of discharge in full hanger, adorned with ground brick pilasters and corinthian capitals. Although its construction or development may date after 1616, subsequent urban transformations, before 1784, made this portal inaccessible. The building, owned by the municipality of Rabastens, thus bears witness to the importance of the penitential brotherhoods in southwestern France in the modern era, mixing devotion, architecture and community life.

Partly classified since 1960 for its western portal, this monument also illustrates the urban dynamics of Rabastens, where the brotherhoods played a major social and religious role. Its current location, near the Promenade du Pré Vert, and its history linked to a private gift highlight the interactions between heritage, local memory and transformations of the territory over the centuries.

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