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Origin and history

The church Sainte-Anne de La Tourette-Cabardès, located in the Aude department in the Occitanie region, is a building whose current structure dates mainly from the seventeenth century. However, it incorporates older elements, including remains of a castle whose semicircular tower now houses the choir. This mixture of architecture reflects a progressive transformation, with traces dating back to the Middle Ages and the 16th century. The octagonal bell tower, built on an older square base, overlooks a broken arch vaulted porch, probably inherited from the entrance to the castle. A bronze bell of 1594, decorated with a religious inscription and a bishop figure, bears witness to the richness of the local campanary heritage, spared during the Revolution.

Inside the church houses several notable works, including a 17th century polychrome wooden altarpiece, an 18th century crystal chandelier, and a silver procession cross of 1693, made by the goldsmith Denys de Limoux. This cross, offered by priest Dominique Faure, is decorated with floral motifs and dange heads, and was initially preserved in sacristy. An inscription of 1646, engraved on a capital, mentions three consuls and could correspond to the transformation of the castle into a church. These elements illustrate the evolution of the site, from a medieval fortress to a parish place of worship, officially recognized as such in the eighteenth century.

The church has been the object of successive protections for historical monuments: the bell tower was inscribed in 1948 and then the entire building in 2013. The bell, the procession cross and the chandelier are also classified as protected objects, respectively in 1943, 1962 and 1965. Major restorations were carried out in the late 19th century to preserve this building, a symbol of local history and hybrid religious architecture, mixing defensive heritage and spiritual vocation.

The name of the village, La Tourette-Cabardès, probably comes from the semicircular tower (turned in Latin) mentioned in 1292. This site, originally linked to the royal seigneury after the Albigoise Crusade, was ceded to the chapter of Saint-Nazaire de Carcassonne in 1402. Originally dependent on the parish of Saint-Pierre-de-Vals, the church of La Tourette acquired its parish status in the 18th century, marking its definitive anchor in the community and religious life of the Cabardès.

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