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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption of Reillanne, originally dedicated to Saint Peter, was built between 1100 and 1150, and rebuilt after 1558. It belonged to a simple priory dependent on Montmajour Abbey and Carluc Priory, confirmed in 1114. These three local churches (Saint-Denis, Saint-Pierre and Sainte-Marie, now Notre-Dame) were submitted to the religious authorities of Aix, Montmajour and Carluc, with recurring tensions between the priory of Carluc and that of Reillanne. At the end of the 15th century, the impoverishment of the priory led to the gradual disappearance of Saint Peter and Saint Denis as parishes.

In 1558 Notre-Dame was erected as a parish church when the priory was transformed into a secular benefit. It was then enlarged with two sides and a bell tower (now disappeared). The nave, the vaulted transept in cradle, the pentagonal bedside and the southern absidiole probably date from the early thirteenth century. Southern absidiole houses a rare round-bosse eagle sculpture on a capital. In the 17th century, four expansion projects were abandoned, with only the west (1645) and south (1685) gates being completed. The western gate, the only Renaissance element, is decorated with foliage and framed with pots of fire.

An earthquake in 1887 almost caused its demolition, but major restorations in 1908 saved the building: the replacement of lava roofs with industrial tiles, the consolidation of masonries and vaults (replaced by brick vaults), and the resumption of stone pillars. The stained glass windows of the choir, added at the beginning of the twentieth century, complete this architectural ensemble combining Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles. The church has been listed as historical monuments since January 21, 2019.

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