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Origin and history

The church Saint-Pons de Castellane is a Catholic chapel located in the hamlet of Eoulx, on the town of Castellane, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Probably dating from the 13th century, it illustrates the late Romanesque style with a neat apparatus and a unique nave extended by a semicircular apse arched in cul-de-four. Its modest dimensions (8.50 m long for 4.50 m wide) and its present state of ruins testify to its gradual abandonment after the displacement of the village of Eoulx.

Originally, this chapel served as a parish church in the perched village of Eoulx, before it was moved near the local castle. It was then replaced by the chapel Notre-Dame, renamed the parish church Saint-Pons, while the old church fell into disuse. The building, classified as historical monuments by order of 6 April 1981, now belongs to the municipality of Castellane. Its architecture, marked by a broken hanger and a bell tower typical of the region, makes it a remarkable example of Provencal religious heritage.

The historical sources, including Jacques Thirion's work in the Roman Alps (1980), underline his architectural interest and his role in local history. Although partially erased, the Saint-Pons chapel remains a key vestige to understand the organisation of medieval villages in Haute-Provence, where parish churches played a central role in community life, both spiritual and social. Its classification among historical monuments aims to preserve this fragile heritage, now reduced to evocative ruins.

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