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Origin and history

The Little Temple of Nîmes is a Protestant religious building located at 19 rue du Grand-Covent, in the city centre. Originally, it was the church of the Ursulines convent, built between 1714 and 1718. The baroque architecture of the building, marked by Provencal influences, includes a classic pilaster façade and an 18th-century organ buffet. It was purchased in 1793 by the Protestant community and inaugurated by Pastor Paul Rabaut.

The Ursulines convent, founded in the seventeenth century, housed a church completed in 1680, replaced by the current building in 1714. After the Revolution, the organ was restored several times, notably by Jean-Esprit Isnard (circa 1750) and Carl Theodor Kuhn (circa 19th century). Ranked a historic monument in 1964, the temple retains remarkable architectural elements, such as side stands and a nave to collateral.

The facade, restored in 1846, has a classic ordinance with a doric floor and an ionic floor. Inside, the three-towered organ buffet, dating from the mid-18th century, dominates the space. The temple was given to the Protestant Consistory in 1881 by the Vincens family, descendant of its revolutionary buyer, Alexandre Vincens-Valz.

During the 19th century, the building underwent several modifications, including the electrification of the organ in 1956 by Maurice Puget. The metal draughts added in 1975 consolidated the structure. Today, the Little Temple remains an active place of worship, attached to the United Protestant Church of France, and a testimony of the nîmes religious history.

The site has been protected for its interior and exterior since 1964, covering elements such as the nave, stands and facade. Its history reflects the religious and architectural transformations of Nîmes, between Catholic heritage and post-revolutionary Protestant use.

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