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Origin and history

The church Sainte-Anne de Lardiers, located in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, finds its origins at the end of the 12th century, founded by the Hospitaliers. This religious monument, originally designed with a unique nave of two spans and a flat bedside, reflects the sober architecture of medieval commanderies. The gate and bedside, the only vestiges of this period, bear witness to its history linked to the ladrerie (leproserie), which gave its name to the village, attested as early as 1261. Lardiers' Commanderie, integrated into the Order of Hospitallers after the dissolution of the Templars, consolidated several leases but declined in the 14th century due to economic and demographic crises.

In the 17th century, the church was enlarged with the addition of side chapels along the dropural walls, changing its original appearance. The nave, initially vaulted in a broken cradle, was covered with arches. The 19th century brought further transformations, although the general organisation of buildings around a lower yard remains visible. Ranked a historic monument in 1978 for its portal, the church was fully protected in 2017, including its facades, roofs and vaulted rooms. Its history thus reflects the architectural and social evolutions of a hospitalry in Provence.

The building, seized as a national asset during the Revolution, was sold before becoming a communal and private heritage. Today, it illustrates the dual religious and hospitable heritage of Lardiers, a village marked by the presence of hospital brothers from the thirteenth century. The successive changes, although significant, did not erase the traces of its medieval origin, notably through its classified portal and flat bedside. The command office, formerly autonomous, became a dependency of Avignon in 1411, marking a turning point in its institutional history.

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