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Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame de l'Espinasse de Millau, located in the Aveyron department in Occitanie, finds its origins in the 12th century. Originally owned by the kings of France, it was ceded in 1070 by the Viscount Béranger II to the Benedictines of the abbey Saint-Victor of Marseilles, who established a priory there. Consecrated in 1096 by Pope Urban II, it houses in the thirteenth century a precious relic: a thorn of the Holy Crown, bearing its present name. Its history is marked by repeated destructions during the Wars of Religion (1561, 1568, 1582), leaving the building in ruins until the beginning of the seventeenth century.

The reconstruction of the church began in 1633 under the direction of architect Jacques Beaudouin, then continued with the masons Jean Favières and Julien Baudoin from 1641. Reopened to worship in 1646, it still underwent major changes, such as the addition of chapels between 1683 and 1715, or side stands in 1759-1760. During the Revolution, it briefly became a temple of Reason. In the 19th century, four new chapels were added (1822-1850), and stained glass windows, including those of Granada and Besseyrias (1869) or Louis Gesta (1911), embellished the building. Ranked a historic monument in 1945, it preserves a remarkable fresco by Jean Bernard (1939) and the modern stained glass windows by Claude Baillon (1982).

The church's architecture blends medieval and reborn elements, such as its octagonal bell tower or double portal. Originally designed with a unique nave and a circular choir, it now houses rich furniture, including eighteenth-century paintings (such as the Adoration of Shepherds), a wooden pulpit, and an organ of 1873. The original monastic buildings, destroyed, left room for a primary school. The building thus illustrates the historical and artistic upheavals of Millau, between faith, conflict and reconstruction.

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