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Origin and history

The ruins of the Magdeleine, also called the Magdalen Monastery or the Templars' Madrery, form a monastic complex of the 11th century rebuilt in the 12th and 13th centuries, nestled in the gorges of the Ardèche on the town of Aiguèze (Gard). Located on a platform of 2,500 m2 at the top of a natural circus, this isolated priory includes a first troglodyte chapel of 30 m2 dug in limestone rock, enlarged in the 13th century by a second Romanesque chapel of 28 m2 with semicircular bedside, then extended to 60 m2. Additional buildings (cell, kitchen, dormitory) are added in the 14th century, while excavations reveal a medieval garden, a cistern, a cemetery of about a hundred burials, and a limousine enamelled plate bearing the IHS monogram, probably relic.

Despite its local name of Templar maladry, no archaeological or textual evidence confirms its connection with the order of the Temple, the Hospitallers, or a leprosy function. Founded between the 11th and 12th centuries on the border of the Dioceses of Uzes and Viviers, the site is abandoned around 1310, then episodicly occupied by coal miners (XVI century) and shepherds (XIX century). Its difficult access – by path or boat – and its isolation in oak forest preserved its remains, now visible from the viewpoints of the tourist road of the gorges of the Ardèche.

Ranked historic monument on August 4, 2015, the site illustrates the medieval occupation of the gorges, until then mostly known for their prehistoric remains. Archaeological research has clarified its chronology: the resizing of the substrate to smooth the circulations, the elevation of the choir by steps, and the addition of a second church in the 13th century, reflecting the vitality of this small religious center. The limousine enamelled plaque, resulting from a cross-reliquary, suggests the presence of relics, reinforcing the hypothesis of a place of pilgrimage.

Property of the town of Aiguèze, the ruins of Magdeleine – although partially erased by time – offer a panorama of Provençal Romanesque art and monastic lifestyles in isolated surroundings. Their early abandonment (early 14th century) coincides with the repression of the Order of the Temple (1307-1314), although no document directly links them. The site remains a rare testimony of the medieval architectural adaptation to a steep environment, between spirituality and community survival.

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