Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The former Notre-Dame du Fort church, located in Montarnaud in the Hérault, is a Romanesque chapel built between the late 11th and early 12th centuries. It is part of a castral complex whose castle, of irregular pentagonal form, is one of the oldest in the Lower Languedoc. The chapel, oriented and rectangular, consists of a unique two-span nave, a semi-circular bedside vaulted in cul-de-four, and a short chorus span in full-cinet. It was mentioned in 1148 as a dependency of the monasteries of Aniane and Gellone, and as a castral chapel linked to the castle of the lords of Montpellier, the Guillaumes.

The Château de Montarnaud, cited from the 11th century and confirmed as property of the Williams in 1111, played a notable military role, suffering two seats during the Wars of Religion (1573 and 1622). The chapel, originally owned by the local lords, became communal. His successive owners include Pierre Carbonnel (1326), Arnaud de Roquefeuil (1346), Jean de Montlaur (1410), Jean de Brignac (1521), and Amédée de Turenne d'Aynac (1719). The building, classified as a Historical Monument in 1992, illustrates the medieval religious and defensive architecture of Languedoc.

The church, now owned by the commune of Montarnaud, bears witness to the feudal and religious history of the region. Its simple plan and its Romanesque characteristics (a cul-de-four vault, unique nave) reflect the constructive practices of the time. The castle, for its part, embodies the evolution of medieval fortifications, passing from the hands of local noble families to more recent owners, such as the May Marquise of Nicolay or Mrs. Dorre Byrne. The accuracy of its location is estimated as satisfactory a priori, depending on available sources.

External links