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Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel du Luc came into being in 1360, when Jacques de Camarat, seigneur of Ramatuelle, founded by will a convent of the Carmelites. A chapel was inaugurated in 1391, a carved pedestal of which could be a vestige. In the 15th century, a cemetery was created, then in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the present church replaced the medieval chapel. In 1515, an inscription on the northwest pillar of the transept cross mark this period of construction.

At the end of the 16th century, the convent was fortified (especially in 1578 and 1590), and a small bell tower was added in the 17th century. Abandoned at the end of the 18th century because of its poor condition, the convent became a parish church in 1789. Around 1830, the walls were enhanced and the roof repaired. In 1898 and 1902, David Deschiffre decorated the interior with murals, including frescoes still visible today.

Ranked a Historical Monument in 1926, the church preserves traces of its conventual and military past. Its architecture combines late Gothic elements and later transformations, reflecting its evolution since the Middle Ages. The approximate location and its turbulent history make it a rare testimony of the Carmelite heritage in Provence.

Today owned by the municipality of Luke, the church remains a place of worship and a protected local heritage. Its inscription in 1926 specifically covers the ancient Carmelite chapel, highlighting its historical and artistic importance in the Var.

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