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Origin and history

The Sainte-Marie de Frangouille church, located in the hamlet of Frangouille on the commune of La Tour-sur-Orb (Hérault, Occitanie), is a Romanesque building whose nave probably dates back to the 12th century. Mentioned for the first time in 1135 as Sancta Maria de Frangolia in the cartular of the abbey of Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens de Joncels, it also appears in papal bubbles of 1153 (Eugène III) and 1216 (Honorius III). Originally dependent on Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julite Church of Saint-Xist, it illustrates the religious and territorial ties of the region in the Middle Ages.

The architecture of the church reveals several construction campaigns: the nave, vaulted in cradle, contrasts with the pentagonal choir and the ogival portal, dated 14th and 15th to 16th centuries respectively. Built in local red sandstone (the ruble), extracted from Ruffas lands, it has a bedside pierced with curved berries and a southern portal in white stone, decorated with columns and a frieze in gear teeth. The traces of visible destruction, such as the removal of the foothills, testify to undocumented alterations or past events.

The site, located near Frangouille Creek, reflects an old occupation related to local mining (red sandstone) and agricultural activities. The hamlet of Frangouille, now modest, was once a place of life organized around this church, symbol of faith and ecclesiastical power in an area marked by abbeys and medieval seigneuries. The use of local materials and superimposed architectural styles highlight its evolution over the centuries.

The papal bubbles of the 12th and 13th centuries confirm the importance of Sainte-Marie in the Occitan religious network, while its initial dependence on Saint-Xist suggests a parish hierarchy typical of the period. The portal, with its bichromy (white and red stone) and its sculpted caps of faces, reveals a late Gothic influence, perhaps linked to donations or increased local prosperity. These elements make it a representative example of the reworked Romanesque heritage in Occitanie.

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