visitor's guide to Carolingian France, Languedoc, Toulouse, Roussillon, South, Carolingian sites, travel guide, eglise pre romane

Louis the Pious (814-840)
Second Issue - after 818-9
Narbonne Denier

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A Visitor's Guide to Carolingian France
VI: Languedoc and Roussillon

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In the south 9th and 10th century churches are referred to as 'pre-Romanesque' rather than Carolingian, since by the 10th C Carolingian influence was just a memory.

St. Michel de Cuxa

The abbey church of St. Michel de Cuxa dates from the second half of the 10th century. It was started by the abbot Pons in 956 and completed in 974. Like so many of these churches, it has been built on over the centuries. The schematic shows the original 10th century construction in the dark footprint. The nave, pictured above, is 10th century, as is the 'arc outrepasse' pictured next to it. The altar table, visible at the end of the nave, dates from the 10th century and was restored to the abbey in 1971. It had been missing since the Revolution.

The crypt (below right) dates from the 11th century and the cloister from the 12th century.

St. Michel de Cuxa is located in the Pyrenees and initially came under the authority of the counts of Barcelona. In 1462 it temporarily came under the French for 33 years and then passed back to Spanish control. Finally, when the border was settled in 1659 it became French. St. Michel is just outside of Prades. It is well worth a visit.

Eglise St. Laurent, Moussan
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St. Laurent is an attractive restored 9th century chapel located about 12 miles north west of Narbonne. The schematic above right shows the surviving 9th century elements in a darker color. The hard to read text says the chapel was part of a villa (grande domaine) and was under the authority of Narbonne. The chapel is in a vineyard and easily accessible. The most recent restoration occurred from the mid 1990s up to about 2000. The picture lower left shows the interior today. We couldn't enter the chapel but could see in through grates, such as the one on the right of this photo. The church has a Gallo-Roman lentil. The picture lower right is from wikipedia.fr and shows the bare stone walls before they were covered by a lime/plaster. We are looking into the 9th century apse.

St. Nazarre, Roujan

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St. Nazarre is a 9th century eglise that has suffered neglect and is badly in need of restoration. It's most distinctive feature is the entry door on the side of the church. The interior has been modified and part of it serves as a storage facility for farm equipment. In the top photo, you can see where a door has been cut into the left side of the church. This side of the church has had a partition built in so there is no interior access. From the outside (not pictured) a large doorway has been cut into the wall. The interior has a dirt floor and the apse arch needs an interior support. There is a small altar in the apse and there are signs it is visited as a prayer/pilgrimage site. Notice the keyhole arch leading into the apse. This is common in Languedoc and common in the Visigothic architectural style of Catalonia and Septimania.

St. Nazarre is located about 12 miles NNE of Beziers, outside of Roujan on a small road heading south. There is limited signage to the church and the church itself is not marked.

St. Martin, Fitou

St. Martin's is a hard to find 9th century chapel. Today it is on the grounds of a small walled retreat center. There was no one there when we visited. I held the camera up over my head to get over the wall and clicked and remarkably the pictures came out pretty well composed. The eglise looks typically Carolingian, with a small square apse. This is marked on IGN maps as a ruin, but clearly it is not. To find it, go through Fitou off the A9 and head out of town west on D50. Several miles out there is a small unmarked dirt road. We parked and I walked down to look for the church. If you know you want to see it, it would make sense to find the retreat center name and call ahead. There is no signage at all identifying the location, so this is truly a less visited or seen 9th C church.

St. Martin of Fenollar

St. Martin is an attractive and accessible 9th century eglise. The first mention of the church is in 844, when it was wood roofed. Stone vaulting was subsequently added, though the arches still look very Carolingian. The church has been restored and is open for visitors. The top picture shows the outside. There are three interior arches, one of which is pictured above. The lower left is a chapel at one end of the church. The church is most famous for its 12th century frescoes.

The frescoes are in east end of the church. The top right is from a series showing the adoration of the Magi. St. Martin de Fenollar is just about 6 miles north of the Col du Perthus on the French Spanish border. It is accessible by the N9 from Perpignan. There is a small admission charge and a shop.

St. Miguel de Riunogues

St. Miguel is a 10th century eglise located in the small and remote hamlet of Riunogues. It is close to St. Martin de Fenollar. The church looks typically Carolingian era construction with a square apse. We were unable to enter it and had to climb a stone wall to get into the cemetery to photograph it. Above, lower right, are three church footprints in the area. The first is Ste. Felicite in Sournia, today a ruin. I think we saw this down a treacherous dirt road on the outskirts of Sournia. We passed, since it is a ruin. The middle footprint is St. Martin of Fenollar and the third is St. Miguel.

The church was a possession of the Benedictine abbey of St. Pere de Rodes in Spain. It is mentioned in church documents in 974, 982 and 990. The name 'Riunogues' comes from the latin 'rivum nogarium,' or the river of walnuts, which still exist on the shores of the small river today. The guide, available in St. Martin de Fenollar, not here, says this is a place that has been bypassed by historical events and tourist guides today. Given its relative inaccessibility, that is not a surprise. On the other hand, remoteness is often the reason 9th and 10th century churches have survived.

Riunogues is hamlet of only four or five houses today at the end of a windy 1 1/2 lane windy road in the vallee du Vallespir. Fortunately we didn't pass anyone on the way in or out, except a flock of sheep on the road at one point. From St. Martin de Fenollar, start on the D618 and at Maureillas las Illas look for the D13. Then there is a turn off this, to the left, to Riunogues.

St. Nazaire de la Cluse Haute
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St. Nazaire is an attractive and well maintained 10th century church. It is located in Le Cluse Haute, a small village only about 3 - 4 miles from St. Martin de Fenollar. This is an area rich in early church architecture. The nave and entry way are the featured elements of this church. Les Cluses is actually two linked communities, and the church is up the hill. The church was locked but when we asked someone, we were told to go to the hotel de ville and ask for the key. For a deposit of my driver's license we got the big iron key and enjoyed a visit to the interior. This is a not uncommon experience in our travels. When we encounter a locked church, it is worth while to ask if access is possible. It often is, from the mayors office or a nearby building.

St. Michel de Sournia

In addition to the ruins of Ste. Felicite, St. Michel is also located in Sournia. This 10th century church has several dramatic keyhole, or Visigothic arches, including a very large XIth century side entry arch. The church was built in several parts, with one side being 10th century (left side is the older) and the other in the XIth century. Lower right is the arch entry to the apse in the newer church. The church has been maintained, as is evident from the new tile roof.

Sournia is about 30 miles west of Perpignan in the Fenouilledes (a mountain range north of the Pyrenees). The route to the church is partially marked. It is a left turn off D2 in town, and then an unmarked right turn somewhat down the hill. We had to ask directions. The church itself is marked by a small wood sign on the right side of the road (there is a river on the left). It is an uphill walk for about 5 - 10 minutes to reach the church, hence the first two 'up the hill' views of St. Michel. Up at the church I saw a dirt road, but the access point to it wasn't clear to me. It is a lane and a half road. Coming out, we passed a caravan of brightly vested hunters, and we each looked at each other with curiosity. I'm glad I was off the hill before the guns started blazing.

St. Pierre, Moissac

The abbey of St. Pierre dates from the 7th century. In the 9th, Louis the Pious extended his protection to the abbey. The church has been heavily rebuilt over the centuries and everything above ground is relatively new - the church is gothic. The only 10th century elements are some visible foundation stones in the crypt, pictured above left. Religious buildings suffered profoundly over the centuries. The common sources of destruction were wars, such as the Albigensian crusade of the 13th century, the Hundred Years War of the 14th and 15th centuries and the religious wars of the 16th century. In addition, the Revolution destroyed many religious buildings. In the case of St. Pierre, it suffered a 19th century indignity, when a railroad track was laid through the middle of the abbey. The main church is on the right of the tracks in this photo, while surviving buildings and a chapel are on the left of the tracks.

St. Saturin de Montauriol

St. Saturin was a disappointing, locked 10th century church. It was disappointing in the the repairs that have been made don't reflect any artistic soul. The side of the church (not pictured) was a peeling concrete mess. The church is located outside of town and there was no one around to ask about access. We tried to take a photograph through the keyhole but unsurprisingly that did not work. The interior was also in need of attention. Montauriol is south of Thuir (itself just SW out of Perpignan). From Thuir take the D615 to Fourques and make a right on the D2 to Montauriol.

St. Sebastian de Laroque des Alberes

St. Sebastian is a 10th century church located on a hill on the the outskirts of town. It was locked and offered no access or interior views. It looks heavily restored. Laroque is south of Perpignan, due west of Collioure. The town has a restricted traffic flow and we stumbled on the church by accident (well, we were looking for it) on a routing that we thought was taking us away from town.

St. Jean Lasseille
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St. Jean is a restored 9th century church located in the heart of town. The side door has the Visigothic keyhole arch. A side chapel was built some time after the initial construction. Lasseille is south of Perpignan, west of St. Cyprien.

Abbey of Caunes

The Abbey of Caunes dates from the 8th century. There is a plaque saying that on December 5, 791 le comte de Narbonne confirmed the foundation of the abbey by order of Charlemagne. Everything above ground is new. The apse and one of the towers are Romanesque, the cloister is 17th century. There are Carolingian era remnants in the crypt. The somewhat blurry schematic of the crypt shows, in red, the early foundation walls, also pictured. This is an attractive Romanesque church with a particularly appealing round apse.