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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Félix-de-Valois d'Aulon, located in the Hautes-Pyrénées in the Occitanie region, finds its origins in the 12th century, probably on an earlier Roman site as evidenced by a cinematic age re-used in the bell tower. The building, originally Romanesque, features a unique nave vaulted in a cradle and a semicircular apse. Its history is marked by major changes: the addition of a northern collateral at the end of the 16th-early 17th century, the construction of the sacristy in the 19th century, and the restoration in 1994 revealing 16th- 17th-century murals in the choir and nave.

The excavations and restorations revealed a rich painted decoration, including a 15th century tetramorphic Christ and the four Evangelists, as well as scenes from the 16th century depicting a pilgrim, a bishop and a lion. These elements illustrate the artistic and liturgical evolution of the building. The church, typical of the Lavedan valley, also retains remarkable furniture: medieval baptismal fonts and an 18th century altarpiece, protected since 1979 as classified movable objects. Its bell tower to the west serves as the main entrance.

Classified as a Historic Monument since 26 June 1989, the church of Saint-Félix-de-Valois embodies the religious and architectural heritage of the Hautes-Pyrénées. Its central location in the village and its successive transformations reflect its continuing role in community life, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era. The murals, rediscovered in 1994, offer a rare testimony of devotion and sacred art of the 15th-17th centuries in Occitanie.

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