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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame de Venasque is a Romanesque building built in the 13th century on a rock, in the village of Venasque (Vaucluse). It replaces an old church dedicated to Sainte-Marie, rebuilt thanks to a gift from the Abbé de Montmajour to the diocese of Carpentras. Its architecture is characterized by a vaulted corridor in the middle of a wall between the church and the nearby Baptistery, a typical collection of Provencal Romanesque art.

The church underwent renovations in the 17th and 18th centuries, without altering its medieval structure. According to tradition, its reconstruction was initiated by Saint Siffrein, bishop of Carpentras, although the precise sources of this involvement remain limited. The building has been listed as a historic monument since May 30, 1906, recognizing its heritage and architectural value.

The Baptistery, associated with the church through this characteristic corridor, forms a coherent religious ensemble, illustrating the importance of places of worship in the medieval organization of the provençal villages. The location of the church on a rock also emphasizes its defensive and symbolic role, dominating the urban landscape. Today, the monument belongs to the municipality of Venasque and remains a major testimony of the Romanesque heritage in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

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