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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of the capital of Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet is a former collegiate in the southern Gothic style, located in the Eastern Pyrenees. Founded in 1317 by Pope John XXII after the collegial erection of an abbey existing since at least 961, it was originally attached to the abbey of Cuxa in 1000. The current building, built in the 14th century, was profoundly renovated in the 17th century, notably by adding an interior decoration of baroque gypseries.

Sold as a national good after the Revolution, the church underwent major transformations: its cloister and courtyards were converted into gardens or houses, while a wall was added in the 19th century to separate the choir from the nave, changing volumes to create housing. Despite these alterations, it retains original Gothic elements, such as its pentagonal choir and side chapels, as well as traces of the 1996 earthquake.

Ranked a historic monument in 1989, the church now houses a museum dedicated to arts, popular traditions, archaeology, numismatics and minerals. Its bell tower, raised in a heptagonal tower, and its 17th century gypsum decoration – combining Baroque motifs and Gothic structure – testify to its architectural evolution. The visible cracks also remind the seismic hazards of the region.

Historical sources mention 16th century disputes and canon coats of arms dated 1696, illustrating its central role in local religious and social life. A communal property, it remains a symbol of the Fenouillède heritage, between medieval heritage and modern adaptations.

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