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Origin and history

The church of St. Michael's in Esperaza came into being in the 9th century, when a first place of worship dedicated to Our Lady was erected by the Abbey of Alet. This building was destroyed during the Albigois Crusade, marking the end of this first structure. In the 13th century, a new church, dedicated this time to Saint Michael, was built according to a Romanesque plan, with an apse and two apsidioles. It followed the path of the Aude, but its history was once again shaken by religious conflicts.

In 1575, the church was razed in clashes with the Protestants cut off in the village. Only one arch in the middle of the hanger and perhaps the bell tower survived. The reconstruction took place in the seventeenth century, with a flat bedside completed in 1664. Medieval remains, such as the 12th century wall paintings discovered in the sacristy, bear witness to his Romanesque past. These frescoes, classified in 1956 with the wall that carries them, represent figurative scenes framed with geometric motifs and inscriptions, typical of medieval Languedoc art.

The present building thus combines elements from the 12th, 13th and 17th centuries, with remarkable furniture: a marble master altar of Caunes-Minervois (18th century) from the cathedral of Alet, classified woodwork, and a 14th century polychrome sandstone sculpture, perhaps Saint John the Baptist, discovered during excavations. The stained glass windows, by Louis Saint-Blancat, complete this heritage. After restorations between 1995 and 2007, the church, a communal property, remains a witness to the religious and architectural upheavals of the region.

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