Églises doubles et families d'églises en Provence

Following the works of Paul-Albert Fevrier on double churches in Provence, M. Fixot and Y. Codou investigate first the alleged exemples of ancient double cathedrals: F re jus, Aix, Apt, Cavaillon, Antibes, and even the more dubious cases of Sisteron, Marseille, Aries, Avignon and Nice. Then they examine sites where new excavations prove that there is no double church, contrary to former hypothesis: Digne, Vaison, Riez. After a survey of local written documents that point out to an idealistic model of trinitarian church, and that might be confirmed by the use of dedicating churches together to the Virgin, John the Baptist and any other saint for the third building, the authors examine some rural groups which have just been excavated or studied, and which are dedicated to several saints, sometimes in one building: Le Brusc, Saint-Hermentaire, Salagon, Menerbes, Ganagobie, Saint-Andre de Rosans, Thouzon, Saint-Symphorien, Saint-Pantaleon, Saint-Jean de Cales. The churches of Castelveyne in Saint-Blaise, Saint-Pierre de VAlmanarre, Saint-Julien-le-Montagne, need further examination. In Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, too, a martyrium is linked to the main church. The authors collect texts that tend to prove the existence of double churches or groups of churches in places where no such building can be found anymore: Cabasse, Roquebrune-sur- Argens, La Motte, Sainte-Marie de Villecroze, Saint-Christol d'Albion, Pignans, Barjols, Le Val, Saint-Martin de Castillon. Notre-Dame-la-Doree, Esparron-de-Pallieres, Callian, Correns, Saint- Pierre de Carluc, all dated about 1000, are the oldest of these churches. But we may never trust only multiple dedication that can also be connected with several altars in a single building, like Mont Cousson. In Saint-Maximin, Aups, Carces and Montfort, Entrecasteaux, La Gayole and the Monastery ofLerins, the groups of churches may have an ancient origin. To conclude, the authors study the different possible uses of double churches (especially in Beaucaire, La Cadiere and so forth): episcopal, canonical or parish church; memorial or funerary function. But a functional explanation is not enough, as different functions can be performed in a single building. Anyway, duplication seems to disappear in 11th and 12lh centuries, when adjacent churches are joined and reorganized. The multiplication of churches is not specific to the cathedral group, it has no apparent link with baptistery, and its ancient origin in Provence has not been proved.