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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The ancient church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Grossa, dated the 12th century, stands on a site probably occupied by a village in ancient times. Its architecture combines a single, prolonged nave of a semicircular apse, characteristic of Corsican Romanesque churches. The walls, constructed of golden-yellow granite slabs, bear witness to local expertise, while the later raised abside was pierced with windows added after its initial construction.

The western façade, the most adorned element, features a door framed by monolithic pedestals and surmounted by a rectangular lintel, itself styled with an arc. Above, three decorative motifs aligned precede a pediment occupied by an arching of nine arcs between which circular cavities were originally sheltered from brightly coloured ceramic bowls, now extinct. Flanking the arch of the door, three human busts or heads in high relief add a rare sculptural dimension for the time and the region.

Ranked a Historical Monument by decree of 29 July 1977, the church illustrates the Corsican Romanesque heritage, mixing structural simplicity and decorative richness. Its current state, although partially modified (overhanging of the abside, additions of windows), retains original elements such as granite apparatus and facade decorations. Approximate localization (accuracy noted 5/10) and the absence of sources detailing its medieval use limit the knowledge of its exact role in the 12th century wholesale community.

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