Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Cécile du Carla, located in Castelnau-de-Lévis in the Tarn, replaces in the 15th century an old church of Notre-Dame de Mazières, destroyed during the Albigois Crusade (1208-1244). The village of Mazières, built on wisigoth ruins of the fifth century, was burned in 1209 by Simon de Montfort on the order of Philip II Auguste. The present Gothic-style building adopts a Latin cross plan with a bell tower-wall with three bays, two of which are geminates, and two symmetrical apses. A patty cross carved on an outer altar evokes a possible templar influence.

During the French Revolution, the church escaped massive destruction but fell into disuse in the 19th century, despite parishioners' petitions. In 1942, it was included in the inventory of picturesque Tarn sites. In the 1970s, the commune of Castelnau-de-Lévis, led by Pierre Valax, launched a plan of preservation. An auction of paintings in 1979 financed emergency works, but two classified objects (one Christ on the Cross and one Virgin on the Child) were transferred to Marssac-sur-Tarn, and a 12th century capital was stolen in 1980.

The major renovation began in 2003 under the impetus of artist Casimir Ferrer and his Mille Étoiles association for Childhood. The works, conducted voluntarily by local artisans, reveal in 2005 a 17th century fresco hidden under a covering. This work, consecrated in 1670, represents an alcove with two angels holding hangings above portrait medallions. Between 2009 and 2010, Ferrer painted the vaults, and the church was inaugurated on 25 June 2011. The site then enriched with an arboretum, an embankment on the Tarn (2015), and the Insolite Gardens of the Carla (2023), with a teaching and charitable vocation.

The church, today dynamic, hosts cultural events (concerts, exhibitions) whose benefits support associations of sick children. Its recent history is part of an artistic and solidarity approach, combining heritage and social commitment. The sculpture Mille Étoiles for Childhood (2015) and that of Saint Michael (2018, 3.15 m) symbolize this protective and creative vocation.

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