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Origin and history

The Church of the Assumption-de-Notre-Dame, also known as the Church of Sainte-Marie, is a Romanesque building located in Rieux-Minervois (Aude, Occitanie). Its architectural peculiarity lies in its centered plan: a heptagonal rotunda (7 sides) surmounted by a dome, surrounded by a walk-through with 14 sides. This unique form in the world symbolizes the divine wisdom associated with the Virgin Mary, with a carved mandorle representing her Assumption, attributed to the Master of Cabestany. The church belongs to the group of circular-collateral rotundas, inspired by models such as the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem or St. Vital of Ravenna.

The church was first mentioned in 1096/1097, when the Archbishop of Narbonne Dalmace, who had come to oversee his construction, died. Given to the chapter of Narbonne, it became a priory in the 12th century, confirmed by acts in 1165, 1181, and 1185. In the 15th century, it was reunited with the capitular mensa, a decision endorsed by Pope Nicholas V in 1448. The seigneury of Rieux, acquired in 1372 by the Limous family La Jugie, marked the history of the place: Guillaume de La Jugie-Puydeval had an underground chapel dedicated to Saint Madeleine dug in 1397, while Tristan de La Jugie-Morèze added in 1512 a seigneurial chapel under the names of Saints Germain, Joseph and Michel.

Ranked among the first French historical monuments in 1840, the church underwent controversial restorations after that date. The departmental architect Champagne carried out works criticized by Charles-Auguste Questel (1844) and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who described the interventions as "vandalism". A project to return to the original state, involving the demolition of the chapels, is abandoned for financial reasons. Viollet-le-Duc believes that it would be necessary to "build a new church" to restore the building. Other modifications follow: the bell tower collapses in 1918 after a storm and is rebuilt in a simplified manner; An iron stand, added in the 19th century to accommodate more faithful, was abolished in 1968.

The church also illustrates the evolution of liturgical and social practices. Its two medieval gates – southern (access to the priory) and western (main door) – were modified in the 14th century by the addition of a porch, transformed into a chapel in the 19th century. The site, including the church and its surroundings, has been listed as natural sites since 1943. The debates surrounding its restoration in the 19th century reflect the tensions between heritage preservation and adaptations to cultural needs, a recurring challenge for medieval monuments.

Archaeological and historical sources underline its originality: the heptagonal rotunda, rare in Romanesque architecture, is countered by a quarter-circle vault covering the walk. This structure, combined with sculptural elements such as those attributed to the Master of Cabestany, makes it an exceptional testimony of art and religious symbolism of the Middle Ages in Languedoc. The studies of Jouy de Veye (1870) or Marcel Durliat (1973) helped document his history, while reports such as that of Viollet-le-Duc (1844) reveal the challenges of his conservation.

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