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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Saint-Barthélémy de Vaugines, also known as the church Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Barthélémy, is a 12th century Romanesque monument, classified as a Historic Monument in 2000. It was the church of the Priory of Notre Dame, founded in the 11th century by the Benedictines of the Abbey of Saint Peter of Psalmody. The monks used stones from a nearby Gallo-Roman vicus, Christianized between the 6th and 7th centuries, as evidenced by a paleo-Christian altar preserved at the Calvet d'Avignon museum.

In the 13th century, the nave was revamped and decorated with frescoes. The church became a local symbol after having served as a decoration for the films Jean de Florette and Manon des sources (1986), especially for the bench scene where the character of the "paper" discovers a secret. Today, this Provencal Romanesque heritage is the subject of a safeguard campaign by popular patronage.

Vaugines, Luberon village, was a medieval fief linked to Forcalquier County. In the 15th century, the seigneury passed to the Agoult, then to the Bruny of the Tower of Aigues until the Revolution. The church, once the heart of the priory, illustrates the religious and seigneurial history of this Provencal valley, between agriculture, wine-growing and cultural tourism.

The site, located in the Luberon Regional Natural Park, enjoys a preserved setting, between hills and vineyards classified in AOC Côtes-du-Luberon. Its Romanesque architecture and its cinematic role make it an emblematic place of Provence, attracting visitors and heritage pilgrims.

Despite deterioration, the building preserves traces of its monastic past, such as the frescoes of the abside and the re-use of ancient stones. Its ranking among the Historical Monuments underlines its importance in the medieval Provencal heritage, between Benedictine spirituality and seigneurial history.

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