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Origin and history

The church Saint-Alexandre d'Aigues-Vives, located in the Aude department in the Occitanie region, is a religious building whose origins date back to at least the thirteenth century, with documentary traces from 1269. The present church, built in 1530 under the episcopate of Martin de Saint-André, replaces an earlier building, one of which probably served as a bell tower. Its architecture includes a unique nave completed by a polygonal bedside, flanked by four side chapels and two sacristies. The ass-de-lampe of the chapels were carved, and the false vaults of the nave date back to 1872.

The two towers adjacent to the church, one of which still serves as a bell tower, are the remains of the old castle dependent on the Barony of Capendu. This castle, taken in 1584 by Captain Celles and then in 1590 by Joyeuse's party, was probably abandoned after these conflicts. The bell tower, three-story high with bays in the middle of the hanger, saw its roof redone in the 19th century when a clock was installed. The second square tower has limestone angle chains and is partially ruined.

Ranked historic monuments in 1948, these towers bear witness to the turbulent history of the site, mixing religious and defensive functions. The 19th century works, like the extension of the sanctuary in 1873, marked the last phase of major evolution of the building, still owned by the municipality of Aigues-Vives today.

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