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Origin and history

Saint-Étienne de Sahorre Church is a Roman Catholic church located in the Pyrénées-Orientales, overlooking the village 100 metres west. Built in the 12th century or early 13th century, it replaces an older building. Its bell tower, added later, was modified in the 18th century to serve as a defensive structure, with partially filled bays. The building, abandoned in 1896 according to Jean-Auguste Brutails, retained its carillon despite the collapse of its vaults.

Ranked a historic monument in 1911, the church presents a typical Romanesque plan: a rectangular nave of 16.45 m long extended by a semicircular apse, flanked by two lateral apsidioles invisible from the outside. Its architecture is reminiscent of the church of Saint John of Conat and the collegiate church of Corneilla-de-Conflent. The nave, facing west-east, is illuminated by windows to the south, east and west, with a southern gate protecting the winds of tramontane.

The 19-metre-high square bell tower is distinguished by its three floors with various materials: hammered stone for the structure, rubble and rolled stone for the trimming, granite for angles and decorations. The lower floor, vaulted and accessible from the nave, leads to the upper levels by a hatch. The geminied bays of the upper floors, in the middle of the hanger or in a broken arch, are surmounted by uncarved capitals. The pyramidal slate roof, rare for the region at the time, crowns the whole.

The carved ornamentation focuses on the apse, with exterior arches in white marble surmounted by a frieze in saw tooth. A central window, framed with four marble columns with capitals carved with plant and animal motifs, illustrates the know-how of the Romanesque artisans. Local materials, such as granite, dominate construction, reflecting the resources available in the Conflict.

Historical sources, including the work of Noël Bailbé and Géraldine Mallet, highlight the architectural similarities between Saint-Étienne and other Romanesque churches in Roussillon. The bell tower, described as "poor in decoration but well built", bears witness to the adaptation of Romanesque forms to defensive needs, characteristic of medieval border areas. The building, a communal property, remains a notable example of Catalan religious heritage.

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