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Origin and history

The Sainte-Anne de Mérindol church, located in the Vaucluse department, replaces a modest wooden chapel built in 1667. Damaged and considered insufficient, the building was demolished between 1748 and 1754 to give way to the present building. The project was attributed to the Aixois architect Georges Vallon or his son Laurent Alexandre, while the works, led by the brothers Joseph and François Douneau, entrepreneurs of Mallemort, were completed in 1756. The church consists of a single vessel of three vaulted spans of ridges, flanked by vaulted lateral chapels in a full-circle cradle.

In 1846, the span of the choir was replaced by an apse, and in 1897, consolidation works were undertaken: the vault of the bell tower was taken over as a subwork and the first left side chapel was strengthened by the architect Courtet. On the same date, the choir received a painted decoration. The building, inscribed in the Historical Monuments by decree of 6 December 1984, illustrates the architectural and liturgical evolution of parish churches in Provence in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Sainte-Anne church, owned by the commune of Mérindol, embodies both a local religious heritage and an example of adapting the cultural buildings to the changing needs of the community. Its history reflects the dynamics of reconstruction and beautification typical of Provençal churches after the Council of Trent, marking a period of architectural and spiritual renewal in the region.

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