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Origin and history

Sainte-Marie-Madeleine d'Aiglun Church is a Romanesque religious building erected in 1555 on a hill overlooking the village. It succeeds a 12th century chapel of Saint John, whose ruins today remain only. Its portal, characteristic of the sixteenth century, bears the date of construction engraved. The building, little transformed since its origin, preserves anachronistic architectural elements such as a vaulted nave in a broken cradle and a flat bedside choir.

From the beginning of the 20th century, the old Aiglun, including the church and its surroundings, was gradually abandoned to a new settlement in the valley. A modern church, built in 1974 along National Highway 85, replaced Sainte-Marie-Madeleine for regular services. Only an annual Mass dedicated to her patron saint is now celebrated, marking her functional decline.

Between 2009 and 2016, a major restoration restored the church to its past brilliance. The works, with a total cost of EUR 484,000, include the repair of the pavement, the ravaging of the facades, and the strengthening of the structures. Funded by the municipality, the State, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department and the European Union, they preserve a heritage rich in classified objects, such as retables of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries or medieval baptismal fonts.

Church architecture combines late Romance techniques with more recent influences. Its arched portal, its vaulted nave as a broken cradle, and its low choir illustrate this stylistic duality. Inside, several furniture elements, including statues, crosses and paintings from the 16th to the 19th centuries, are protected as historical monuments, testifying to its past cultural and religious importance.

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