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Origin and history

The Sainte-Pétronille church, located in La Roque-en-Provence (formerly Roquesteron-Grass), was built in the late 12th or early 13th century as a church of a priory dependent on the abbey of Lérins. This priory, mentioned from the 11th century under the name of Saint John, benefited from gifts like those of Laugier Roux in 1028 and 1046, and was assigned the Church of Notre-Dames-des-Ferres. A simple mountain building with limited means, it had only one prior and a monk in 1353, before being united with the abbey of Lérins in 1444. The bishop of Glandèves played a key role in his religious organization.

In the 13th century, the village of Roquesteron was dominated by the castle of the Rostaing of Thorame-Castellane, whose remains remain the ruins of a tower overlooking the church. The fief passed under Savoyard suzeraineté in 1388, then to the Grimaldi of Bueil in 1438. The treaty of Turin (1760) split the village into two: the church, now French, became parishioner under the name of La Roque-en-Provence, while the Savoyard part retained the name of Roquesteron. Turned into a military lookout, it was raised in the 18th century to accommodate a round road and shooting openings, traces still visible.

The Romanesque architecture of the church is characterized by a nave of three vaulted bays in a cradle, a semicircular apse, and cruciform bays. The western door was added late, while the elevation of the walls, marked by a cordon, testifies to its strategic adaptation. Restored between 1976 and 1978, it retains defensive elements such as the base of the original bell tower wall. Its history reflects the border tensions between France and Savoy, as well as the influence of the Provencal religious orders.

The abbey of Lérins, owner of the priory, played a major role in its development, as evidenced by the archives from 1028 to 1444. In 1617, Abbé Théodore Tardivi described the chapel as "in a very good state", stressing its sustainability despite the political upheavals. The Duke of Savoy, who became king of Sardinia in 1720, also influenced his destiny, notably through the Treaty of 1760, which redesigned the border along the Esteron. The church of Saint-Érige, built in 1735 on the Savoyard bank, definitely marked the separation of the two villages.

Listed as a historical monument on July 20, 1942, the church of Sainte-Pétronille illustrates the interlacing of religious, seigneurial and military powers in eastern Provence. Its modest architecture, typical of mountain priories, contrasts with its later geopolitical role. The restorations of the 1970s preserved this heritage, a witness to the territorial and cultural changes between Alpes-Maritimes and Nice County.

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