Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie finds its roots in a monastery founded in the fifth century by monks of the Lérins Abbey, invited by the Bishop of Riez. Driven by the Saracen invasions, these religious returned only between the 11th and 12th centuries, when the present Romanesque church was erected. The bell tower, a masterpiece of the Lombard Romanesque style, consists of five levels in limestone tuff, three adorned with geminied bays and Lombardic bands, characteristic of the first Romanesque art. In the seventeenth century, iron reinforcements were added to stabilize its structure, threatened by the vibrations of the bells.

The partial reconstruction of the church in the 14th century, initiated in 1336 by prior Pierre de Pratis, introduced a Gothic choir disoriented from the Romanesque nave. This choir houses a remarkable altar, carved in a marble sarcophagus of the fourth century, while the capitals of the columns, carved of oak leaves, highlight medieval influence. The nave, divided into five vaulted bays in a broken cradle, illustrates the Provence Romanesque style, typical of the region.

Ranked a historic monument since 18 March 1913, the church embodies a hybrid architectural heritage, blending Romanesque heritage and Gothic additions. Its bell tower, symbol of the village classified among the Most Beautiful Villages of France, dominates an exceptional natural site, between lake and cliffs, strengthening its historical and tourist attraction. The building remains today the property of the commune of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

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