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Origin and history

The Saint-Pierre de Sauveplantade church, located in the eponymous hamlet on the commune of Rochecolombe (Ardèche), is a Romanesque building of the 11th and 12th centuries, representative of the first Romanesque age in Vivarais. With a length of 8.30 metres and a width of 3.30 metres, it is considered one of the smallest churches in Christendom. Its name, Sauveplantade, comes from the Latin sylvia plantada, evoking a former wooded site exploited for its wood. Gallo-Roman remains, including a cippe dedicated to Jupiter and a column to Emperor Aurélien, attest to an ancient occupation, probably linked to the Helvian Way between Nimes and Alba.

According to Charta Vielha (950), the church is given to the bishops of Viviers by Aginus and Pétronille. In the 11th century, it became a Benedictine priory dependent on the Abbey of Cruas. The bishops-counts of Viviers gradually infer their lands to noble families such as the Vogüe, who dominate the region from their castles of Vogüe and Rochecolombe. The Hundred Years' War led the inhabitants to leave Sauveplantade to get closer to the Château de Rochecolombe, deserting the village. From the 15th century on, the priory was entrusted to comndataires, who received their income without residing there.

The church, spared by the Wars of Religion and Revolution, was classified as a historical monument in 1907. His Latin cross plan, with a short nave, a transept and three apses, takes over Benedictine cannons in miniature. The crossover of the transept is surmounted by an octagonal dome on conical tubes, characteristic of regional Romanesque architecture. Two wisigothic capitals, probably from the first church, adorn the western pillars. The Vogüé family also left its mark: Pierre de Vogüé (died 1469) and his son Antoine (died 1506) were buried there.

Today owned by the commune, the church is attached to the parish of Sainte Marie de Berg and Coiron (diocese of Viviers). Its exceptional state of conservation and its history linked to the lords of Vogüé make it a valuable witness to the religious and feudal heritage of Vivarais.

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