Eglise Saint-Laurent (ancienne)
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise Saint-Laurent (ancienne), located in Eygalières (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Eygalières, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.7639, 4.9488
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081245
Perched on the rocky heights of Eygalières, this former 12th-century Romanesque church, remodelled in the 17th century, boasts a distinctive bell tower and a nave bathed in Provençal light.
History
Dominating the village of Eygalières from its limestone promontory, the former church of Saint-Laurent stands out as one of the most striking silhouettes in the Alpilles. Disused over the centuries, it nevertheless retains a rare architectural presence, combining the sobriety of Provençal Romanesque with a few 17th-century additions that bear witness to the vitality of the local community under the Ancien Régime. What makes Saint-Laurent truly unique is its location in the heart of the old medieval town, a stone's throw from the ruins of the seigniorial castle. The church and castle once formed a coherent fortified complex, combining defence and spirituality in a way that was typical of medieval Provence. Now no longer used for religious purposes, it regularly hosts temporary exhibitions and cultural events, providing a unique stone setting for artists from the region. A visit to Saint-Laurent is an extraordinary experience: to enter this peaceful space, where the smell of dry stone mingles with the golden light filtering through the small Romanesque windows, is to touch with your finger a thousand years of human presence. It's a complete change of scenery, enhanced by the panoramic view of the Alpilles and the Crau plain from the forecourt. The setting of Eygalières itself adds to the enchantment. Listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Provence, it is enchanting with its pale limestone streets, shady fountains and gardens overgrown with lavender and rosemary. Saint-Laurent is the centrepiece of a village heritage of rare coherence, just a few kilometres from Les Baux-de-Provence and Saint-Rémy.
Architecture
The basic layout of the former church of Saint-Laurent is Provençal Romanesque, with a simplified Latin cross plan, a single nave with a barrel vault and an east-facing choir with a semicircular apse in the medieval liturgical tradition. The walls, built of limestone rubble extracted from local quarries in the Alpilles region, have the characteristic golden ochre hue of Provençal stone, which takes on an almost luminous glow in the late afternoon sun. The bell-tower, built on a square plan above the crossing span, is the most visible feature from the village and the surrounding roads. Its geminated bays with ringed colonnettes, typical of the late Romanesque style, suggest that it was built or completed in the late 12th century. The work carried out in the 17th century can be seen mainly in the interior, where some of the vaults have been rebuilt with moulded ribs, and in the side door, whose moulded, round-headed frame betrays a taste for the classical forms then being disseminated from Aix-en-Provence and Avignon. The ensemble retains some residual liturgical furnishings - a few fragments of sculpture, pilaster bases and remains of painted plaster - which bear witness to the original richness of the interior decoration. The overall sobriety of the building, which avoids any ornamental excess, is precisely what gives it its dignity and emotion: at Saint-Laurent, it is the stone itself, carefully crafted by medieval masons, that speaks.
Related Figures
Saint Laurent de Rome — martyr chrétien du IIIe siècle, patron titulaire de l'église, dont le culte était profondément enraciné en ProvenceLes seigneurs d'Eygalières — familles féodales qui patronnèrent la construction de l'édifice au XIIe siècle et financèrent son entretien au fil des sièclesLes moines de l'abbaye de Montmajour — puissante institution bénédictine des Alpilles, probablement impliquée dans la fondation et la vie spirituelle de la paroisse médiévaleLes consuls d'Eygalières — représentants de la communauté villageoise qui supervisèrent les campagnes de travaux du XVIIe siècleLes architectes des Monuments Historiques — responsables des campagnes de restauration engagées après le classement de 1983
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise Saint-Laurent (ancienne) located?
Eglise Saint-Laurent (ancienne) is located in Eygalières, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Eglise Saint-Laurent (ancienne) built?
Eglise Saint-Laurent (ancienne) dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Eglise Saint-Laurent (ancienne) open to visitors?
Eglise Saint-Laurent (ancienne) is currently closed to visitors.