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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Félix-et-Saint-Armengol of Ayguatébia, located in the commune of Ayguatébia-Talau (Pyrénées-Orientales), has its origins in the Middle Ages. As early as 1046, a building dedicated to St. Peter and St. Felix was mentioned (ecclesiae sancti Felicis), before being reassigned to St. Felix and St. Armengol in 1099 (Sant Feliu and Sant Ermengol in Catalan). This first Romanesque building was destroyed during the fire of the village by French troops on 7 February 1673, as part of the Angelet revolt, a Catalan uprising against the royal authority.

The reconstruction took place quickly: the nave and chapels were erected in 1693 (dated engraved on a lintel), while the sacristy was completed in 1694 and the bell tower between 1706 and the following centuries. The latter partly rests on an ancient porch, suggesting that the church occupies its original location. The portal, remarkable by its full arch with imposing harpsichords, was classified as a historic monument in 1967. The interior houses retables from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as a rare 15th century painted sign depicting a nursing Virgin, illustrating the artistic stratification of the place.

The building thus embodies almost a millennium of religious and political history in French Catalonia. Its reconstruction after 1673 symbolizes local resilience to conflict, while its baroque and medieval elements reflect the stylistic and cultural evolutions of the region. Today a communal property, the church remains a major heritage landmark of the Pyrénées-Orientales, open to visit in the village of Ayguatébia-Talau.

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