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Origin and history

The church of Saint John the Old of Perpignan, a Romanesque building of the 11th to 13th centuries, was originally built as a collegiate building before being replaced in the 14th century by the Gothic Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. Perhaps its origin dates back to the 9th or 10th century, linked to the residence of the Counts of Roussillon, of which almost no trace remains today. The present church was consecrated in 1025 by the bishop of Elne, then enlarged in the 12th century with a three apse bedside and a transept, while a chapter of canons was established there in 1102.

In the 13th century, two collaterals were added to respond to the growing crowd, before the building was eclipsed by the construction of the Gothic cathedral from 1321. In the 18th century, the roman bedside lost its left apsidiole and part of its central apse. At the end of the 19th century, the church was transformed into an electrical factory, and it suffered significant degradation. Its restoration began in the 1970s, with archaeological excavations.

The 13th century southern white marble portal is attributed to the sculptor Raymond de Bianya, known for his works at the cloister of Elne. This portal is distinguished by its original composition, with a tympanum divided into two arches separated by a pendant key carved by a Christ trumping. Today, only the left crusillon (Notre Dame dels Correchs) is accessible from the cathedral, while the Romanesque bell tower, partially medieval, was raised in brick at the end of the eighteenth century.

Partially classified as early as 1840 (door, bell tower, southern nave) and registered in 1956, the church illustrates the architectural transitions between Romanesque and Gothic in Roussillon. Its history also reflects the political and religious upheavals of the region, marked by the ephemeral kingdom of Majorca and the diocesan reorganization in the seventeenth century.

The successive construction campaigns (XI, XII, XIII centuries) reveal a constant adaptation to liturgical and community needs. The preserved remains, such as southern absidiole or carved capitals, testify to the artistic and spiritual importance of this place, despite the alterations suffered over the centuries.

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