Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Beauvoir de Grambois was first mentioned in 1096, in a papal privilege granted to the abbey of Saint-André-lès-Avignon. The site is already a place of worship and local power. Subsequent texts (1143, 1165, 1227) confirm its religious importance, linked to the canons of Avignon and the archdiocese of Aix-en-Provence. A 1050 charter even evokes a pre-existing medieval villa, suggesting an old occupation of the site.

In the 14th century, the church, considered too small for the population, was enlarged after an archepiscopal sentence of 1343. A legacy in 1348 allowed the founding of the chapel Saint-Jean-Baptiste, while the region benefited from the installation of the papacy in Avignon. Queen Jeanne gave in 1360 the seigneury of Grambois to Guy Albert, nephew of Pope Innocent VI, marking a period of prosperity. The pastoral visits of the 15th and 16th centuries attest to its good condition, despite the expansion works carried out in 1545-1560 to add a southern collateral.

The religious disturbances of the late 16th century transformed the church into a defensive element: in 1589, the lord Jean de Gautier added a fortified tower above the choir and modified the upper parts. The northern side chapels were added in the 17th century, but the earthquake of 1708 seriously damaged the building. The cradle vault, façade and bell tower are rebuilt, with the addition of an iron campanile forged in the 19th century. The sacristy, partially collapsed, was restored in 1855.

The current architecture preserves traces of the original Romanesque nave (XII century), with its first three spans and re-used 11th century columns. The narrower Gothic choir probably dates from the 14th century, while the lateral chapels and defensive modifications reflect successive adaptations. The church, classified as a historical monument in 2001, houses a polyptych of 1519 and a 17th century canvas, testimonies of its rich artistic and religious past.

His furniture includes a polyptych dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, commissioned in 1519 by the brothers Elzéar and Pierre Asse, local notables. A 17th century canvas, representing the Glorification of the Virgin, could come from the ancient high altar. These elements illustrate the central role of the church in the community and spiritual life of Grambois, from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

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