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Origin and history

The St. Lawrence church of St. Lawrence-des-Arbres, mentioned in 919 under the name Ecclesia Sancti Laurentii de Arboribus, was given to the bishop of Avignon Fulcherius by Laudoyn and his wife Eiglenracla. This gift, which was given under the reign of the King of Provence, Louis l'Aveugle, only concerned the church and its lands, excluding the village and the castle, later acquired by the bishops in 1232. The first Romanesque structures (nave and lateral chapel) date from the 11th century, but the building was enlarged in the 12th century (addition of a dome) and massively fortified in the 14th century, under the impulse of the papacy of Avignon, to serve as a fortress doubling the nearby castle.

The fortification of the church, led by Cardinal Anglic Grimoard, is part of a regional defensive campaign against the threats of the religious wars. It was taken twice in 1562 by the Protestants (Calvinists and Baron des Adrets), and repaired by the village community around 1630-1632, then maintained until the 18th century. His strategic role declined after the Revolution, marked by the exile of parish priest Liotard, refusing the Civil Constitution of the clergy in 1790. Ranked a Historical Monument in 1892, the church preserves traces of its transformations, including a classic 17th century portal contrasting with its Romanesque masonry.

Architecturally, the church combines an original Romanesque plan (nave of four spans, apse and apsidioles) with Gothic defensive elements: raised bedside in triple crenellated tower, murderous, and bolt holes. The dome of the cross of the transept, adorned with the symbols of the Evangelists, and the masonry in a fish edge (visible on the facades and the bedside) bear witness to medieval techniques. Despite controversial restorations in 1888, partially altering its Romanesque character, the building remains a remarkable example of a fortified Provencal church, linked to the history of the bishops of Avignon and religious conflicts.

Toponymically, the village evolved from Sancti Laurentii de Arboribus (medium age) to its present name after 1550, reflecting its shared membership between the dioceses of Uzès (temporal) and Avignon (spiritual). The Villerie de Roquemaure, to which Saint-Laurent-des-Arbres belonged, included fourteen villages under the authority of the bishops, stressing its regional importance. Today, the church, a communal property, embodies this complex heritage, where episcopal power, military architecture and village life intersect.

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