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Origin and history

The church of Saint Vincent de Cros, built in the 12th century on a nipple overlooking the Vidourle, is part of a garrigue landscape marked by transhumance drails. Its isolated settlement, surrounded by rare houses and scattered hamlets, suggests a role both spiritual and practical for travelers or shepherds. The term Saint Vincent, attested from 1314 (ecclesia de Sancto Vincencio de CROSO), probably dates back to its foundation, although its written history begins late.

The architecture, homogeneous and dated from the end of the 11th or early 12th century, is characterized by a unique nave of two vaulted bays in cradle, a semicircular sanctuary in cul-de-four, and thick walls (1.35 m) buttocked by discreet foothills. The absence of carved decorations, the partial lumbar arches on the abside, and the windows in the middle of a double-brassed hanger reflect the sober Romancevenol style. The sacristy, added in the 17th century, and the wooden stands of the 18th century (destroyed since) testify to subsequent adaptations for a growing parish.

From the beginning, the church depends on the diocese of Nîmes and the canonial chapter of Our Lady. In the 16th century, the parish, converted to the Reformation, suffered the wars of Religion (1562–98) and the wars of Rohan (until 1629), during which time the building, neglected, partially lost its roof. The episcopal visits of 1611 and 1675 ordered reparations, never carried out for lack of means. The revocation of the edict of Nantes (1685) revived the work: in 1686, the diocese financed galleries to enlarge the church, then considered too small for 650 inhabitants.

The Camisard revolt (1702–04) marked a violent turning point: on the night of December 22-23, 1702, insurgents burned the door and the stands without damaging the structure. The episcopal reports of 1723 describe an "old and very solid" building, but indicate missing stained glass windows and a long cracked bell. In the 18th century, a presbytery was finally built (1756), and the priory was attached in 1740 to the mense of the seminary of Alès, offering the inhabitants a free place for a child.

The French Revolution saves the church, although declared national: its small size (200 places) saves it from a transformation into a temple of Reason. Sold partially (presbytery and garden in 1809), it remains a branch of Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, with an occasional cult. In the 19th century, the Caylus and Bourgoing families financed a bell (1843) and liturgical objects, feeding a local legend of buying the building. Ranked a historic monument in 1961, it was restored in 2012–2013 under the direction of DRAC, with a solemn reopening on May 31, 2013.

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