Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth is an ancient Romanesque collegiate church of the 12th century, built outside the walls of Pernes-les-Fontaines (Vaucluse). Originally served by ten canons of the abbey Saint-Ruf d'Avignon, it suffered a partial collapse in the 14th century, requiring major changes. Curiously, it remained excluded from the fortified enclosure built at the same time to protect the city from road gangs.

In 1562, the church was looted and burned by Baron des Adrets, a violent episode linked to the Wars of Religion. In the 18th century, a typical Provencal organ buffet was installed. As early as 1840, it was one of the first 1,034 historic monuments classified in France, recognizing its exceptional heritage value.

Its southern portal, though damaged, illustrates Provencal Romanesque art inspired by antiquity, with canned columns and acanthe-leaf capitals. The south facade, composite, bears the traces of the successive modifications. Inside, the carved decoration (Adam and Eve, claws, biblical scenes) reveals the influence of the same artisans as those of Cavaillon Cathedral.

The church is inseparable from its surroundings: it faces an ensemble formed by a chapel, a bridge and the Porte Notre-Dame, another emblematic monument of Pernes-les-Fontaines. Its history reflects the political and religious upheavals of medieval and modern Provence.

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