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Saint-Mayeul de Cipières Church dans les Alpes-Maritimes

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Eglise
Alpes-Maritimes

Saint-Mayeul de Cipières Church

    1-15 Rue des Confréries 
    06620 Cipières
Église Saint-Mayeul de Cipières
Église Saint-Mayeul de Cipières
Église Saint-Mayeul de Cipières
Église Saint-Mayeul de Cipières
Église Saint-Mayeul de Cipières
Crédit photo : MOSSOT - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1158
First mention of the church
XIVe siècle (début)
Dedication to Saint Mayeul
vers 1572
Major reconstruction
1743-1750
Reconstruction of the bell tower
1860
Restoration cost
4 janvier 1989
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Saint-Mayeul parish church (Box C 254): inscription by decree of 4 January 1989

Key figures

Pons de Cipières - Local Lord Witness in 1152, linked to the castle.
Antoine Godeau - Bishop of Vence (XVIIth century) Authenticates a reliquary of milk.
Honoré Faissole et Pierre Martin - Master masons Authors of the bell tower's estimate.
Jean Baudoin et Jean Roubaud - Master masons Rebuilders of the bell tower (1743-1750).

Origin and history

The church Saint-Mayeul de Cipières, located in the Alpes-Maritimes, is mentioned for the first time in 1158, in a context where the first castle of the village probably dates from the first half of the 12th century. At that time, the church, isolated on a platform, coexisted with a clustered habitat near the castle. It was only from the fourteenth century that the village gradually moved towards the present site, around the church, whose dedication to Saint Mayeul was attested from that time.

A major reconstruction took place in the 16th century, around 1572 (engraved date), marking an urban development towards the west and, to a lesser extent, towards the east. This era also saw the addition of two side chapels and the conservation of capes that had supported dogive crosses. The bell tower was entirely rebuilt between 1743 and 1750 by the masons Jean Baudoin and Jean Roubaud, according to the plans of Honoré Faissole and Pierre Martin. Its campanile, dated 1750, crowns a roof in a pavilion covered with plumbing tiles, as evidenced by the cost estimates of 1860.

The church houses remarkable furniture, including a reliquary of the head of Saint Mayeul and a reliquary arm containing a finger of the saint, decorated with a ring supposed to contain a stone of the temple of Jerusalem, certified by a prelate. Another reliquary, now extinct, contained a vial of milk of the Virgin, authenticated by Antoine Godeau, bishop of Vence in the seventeenth century. These objects illustrate the spiritual and historical importance of the site.

Ranked a historical monument in 1989, the church reflects the architectural and social evolutions of Cipières, from its central role in medieval life to its integration into the modern urban fabric. Its mid-air walls (façade and bedside) and its bellows (clocher) bear witness to successive constructive techniques, while its inscription in the heritage protects this testimony of the Alpes-Maritimes.

External links