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Origin and history

The Church of St. Sebastian of Palau-del-Vidre, also known as the Church of St. Mary, is the main religious building of the village. It occupies a central position, inside the enclosure of the old fort or castle of Palau-del-Vidre. Its history is closely linked to that of the village, mentioned from the ninth century, although the church appeared in texts only from the twelfth century, under the name of Parrochia Sanctae Mariae de Palad. Originally placed under the patronage of the Virgin Mary, it was given in 1172 by Count Girard II of Roussillon at the order of the Temple, before passing to the Hospitallers after the dissolution of the Templars.

The present building is not that of the 12th century, but an old castle room converted into a church between the 14th and 15th centuries. This transformation coincides with a period of prosperity for Palau-del-Vidre, as evidenced by the late Gothic altarpieces that still adorn the interior. The church adopted its present patronage, dedicated to St Sebastian in the seventeenth century, probably in thanks for being spared by an epidemic of plague. Despite this change, she sometimes retains her old name of Sainte-Marie church.

Architecturally, the church is distinguished by its irregular plan, without apse, with a single nave wide and short, covered by an apparent structure supported by diaphragm arches. Six lateral chapels, of unequal sizes, opened on the nave, while the bell tower, which began in the seventeenth century, was only completed at the end of the nineteenth century. His furniture is remarkable, notably the retables of the 15th century, such as that of Saint-Michel and Saint-Hippolyte, the work of Catalan artist Arnaud Gasses, or that of Notre-Dame du Rosaire, painted by Antoine Peytavi in 1583.

Among the major pieces, the Retable de Saint-Sébastien (1648), carved by Llàtzer Tremullas, was unfortunately destroyed during a restoration in the 1970s. Only a few statues remain. The altarpiece of Our Lady of the Rosary, commissioned by the city's consuls in 1583, illustrates the importance of the church in local community and religious life. These artistic elements reflect the Catalan, Spanish and Flemish influences that marked the region at the end of the Middle Ages.

Today, the Church of Saint Sebastian remains a unique testimony to the medieval and modern history of Palau-del-Vidre, mixing Templar heritage, reconverted military architecture and exceptional artistic heritage. Its status as an ancient possession of military religious orders, and its central role in parish life, make it an emblematic monument of the Eastern Pyrenees.

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