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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Notre-Dame-de-Bethléem de Thoard Church is a religious building located in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is distinguished by its architecture combining a unique nave with a flat ceiling and a vaulted sanctuary, built mainly in the seventeenth century. However, its walls are based on older masonries, attesting to a medieval origin.

The building leans against a fortified tower, nicknamed the dungeon, whose architectural analysis makes it possible to date its construction between the late 12th and early 13th century. This dungeon, a seigneurial and military symbol, was partially transformed in the 17th century: a belfry was added, marking its conversion into a parish bell tower. These changes illustrate the evolution of the monument from a defensive function to a religious use.

The church was classified as historic monuments in 1994, recognizing its heritage value. Its interior decoration, including gypsums, and its successive changes (XVI and XVII centuries) reflect aesthetic and functional adaptations over time. The tower-clocher, vestige of the medieval dungeon, remains one of the most emblematic elements of the site.

The location of Thoard, in a territory marked by Provencal history, suggests a medieval context where fortified churches played a central role in community life. These buildings served both as places of worship, refuge and symbol of local power, reflecting the social and religious dynamics of the era.

Available sources, including Guy Barruol (1993), highlight the architectural importance of the dungeon and its integration into the Alpine religious landscape. Today, the church and its tower (Cadastre E 107) are owned and protected by the municipality, although their accessibility to the public is not specified in the documents consulted.

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