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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens de l'Escarene finds its first records in the archives of Saint-Pons Abbey in Nice. A charter of 1037 attests to a donation made to St Peter's church by Bonix, with the agreement of Raimbald, lord of Nice, in the presence of Bishop Nitard. This document marks the beginning of its written history, linked to the powerful Nice families and the regional ecclesiastical influence.

In 1074, Rostaing, the son of Raimbald, and his wife Aicelene gave in to the church property located at the Escarene. The following year, Rostaing and his family gave the Saint Peter's church and his estate to Saint Pons Abbey, a donation confirmed by a charter of 1081. In the 13th century, the church became a parish priory dependent on the abbey, its prior exercising even seigneurial rights over the village until the death of Queen Jeanne in the 14th century.

The total reconstruction of the church in the 17th century (1627–1656) was led by the local community, with works led by engineer Jean-André Guiberto and entrepreneur Baptiste Bonanat. The trustees' records detail the steps, including the intervention of the stucator Jean-Pierre Marvaldi (1654–155) and the laying of the roof by the Veran brothers. In 1657, the sale of side chapels financed the completion of the interior decoration.

The building, classified as a historic monument in 1978, houses a Grinda brothers organ installed in 1791. Its baroque architecture and furniture, listed by the Palissy base, testify to its central role in the religious and social life of the Escarene, from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

In the 19th century, the church retained its status as a major place of worship, integrated into a Fora's vicariate. Its history reflects the close links between ecclesiastical power, local nobility and village community, characteristics of the pre-revolutionary Alpes-Maritimes.

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