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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Vals is a semi-rupestrous building on three levels, partially dug into the rock (palassou pudding). Its lower part, the oldest, dates back to at least the tenth century (end of the Carolingian period), while the present apse dates from the eleventh century and was vaulted in the twelfth century. The church is known for its Romanesque frescoes of the first quarter of the twelfth century, Catalan influence, discovered in 1952 under layers of badigeon. These paintings, restored in 1956 and between 2006 and 2008, represent biblical scenes such as the Annunciation, the Nativity, and the Parousie, with rare iconographic details in France.

The site of Vals, occupied since the Neolithic (collective burial discovered in 2008), experienced a continuous occupation: protohistoric tensions (15th century BC), Gallo-Roman and Merovingian objects, then a medieval village fortified around the church. In the 14th century, the building was incorporated into a strong house by Baron Lapenne. The upper chapel, dedicated to Saint Michael, dates from the 12th century, while the tower-donjon was added around the 14th century. The exterior stone cross, classified in 1959, comes from the ancient medieval cemetery.

The church has been listed as a Historic Monument since November 19, 1910, and its cross since March 2, 1959. Located on a secondary route of the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela (path of Pyrenean Piedmont), it was remodeled in the 19th century (surelevation in 1887 by the Marquise de Portes, addition of stained glass). The frescoes, attributed to a workshop influenced by the Master of Pedret (Catalonia), are a major testimony of Southern Romanesque art.

Modern excavations and restorations revealed its complex history: in 1104, Rector Annibal Grasseries became canon of Foix; In 1224, Pope Honorius III confirmed the rights of the Abbey of Foix over the church; In 1445, a bubble of Pope Eugene IV attached it to the cathedral of Pamiers. Father Julien-Marie Durand (1904–1970) played a key role in the rediscovery of frescoes and the creation of the association Les Amis de Vals (1959), dedicated to its preservation.

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