Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint John the Baptist of Conat, mentioned for the first time in 1175 via its chaplain, is cited under its present name in 1186 (Sancti Johannis de Chonato). Built in the 12th century on the foundations of an 11th century church, it retains a lintel engraved with a commemorative inscription in Latin, classified as a historical monument since 1911. Its atypical Romanesque architecture includes a north-west/south-east orientation, interior chapels dug in the thickness of the walls, and a Lombard decor (arcatures and modillons) on the bedside and the north wall.

The building, listed as a historic monument in 1985, combines two types of apparatus: octopus marble blocks carefully carved for the majority of the walls, and shale stones for the south wall, less visible. The portal, surmounted by a lintel and a monolithic tympanum, carries an inscription dedicated to a certain Pierre (perhaps the sponsor or a donor). Inside, the unique nave, extended by a semicircular bedside, houses two classified 17th-century altarpieces, including that of the high altar representing the take-off of Saint John the Baptist.

The bell tower, added later, probably rests on the remains of an 11th century tower. The church, dependent on the diocese of Perpignan-Elne, illustrates the adaptation of Catalan Romanesque art to the topographical constraints of the Pyrenees. Its furniture also includes a monolithic baptismal tank and a 17th century stand, reflecting its evolution over the centuries.

Located at the entrance of the village of Conat, in the steep valley, the church overlooks the confluence of the El Callau and the river of Urbanya. Its geographical isolation, accessible by a narrow road, preserved its authentic character. The Lombard archatures and the frieze in steel teeth of the bedside underline its membership in the Roussillonese Romanesque school, marked by Catalan influences.

The two altarpieces classified in 1983 – that of the Virgin (status of Virgin to Child) and that of the high altar (triptych with Saints James and Peter) – reflect the post-medieval artistic richness of the region. The inscription of the lintel, HANC PETRUS A PETRA..., evokes a divine beatitude linked to the foundation, without the precise identity of Peter being confirmed by the sources.

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