EGLISE NOTRE-DAME DE LA ROUVIERE

The Notre-Dame de la Rouvière church is mentioned as a priory depending on the chapter of the cathedral of Mende in 1123. A remarkable example of Romanesque architecture in Gévaudan, this modest sanctuary is the only one in the surroundings of Mende, with the church of Lanuéjols, to have reached us almost intact. It has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1973. Surrounded by its cemetery, it is a church with a single nave of four barrel-vaulted bays ending in a five-sided apse vaulted in a cul-de-four. This presents inside and outside a decoration of arcades falling on engaged columns with historiated capitals. To the south, the gate opens into a protruding forepart acting as a buttress. The bell tower with two bays is placed on the western gable and probably dates from the 16th century. The building is built of limestone and its roof is covered with shale slates. The apse is decorated with capitals, the two southern sides of which are historiated. In a rather naive style, fabulous animals, symbols of evil, prepare to devour characters and drag them to hell. What makes this church particularly interesting are the mural paintings that were discovered during restoration work in 1974. These paintings were made at three different times, a first set in the Gothic period (13th-15th century), the second from the end of the 17th or the beginning of the 18th century and finally, the last from the end of the 18th century. Most of this decoration is made up of geometric and vegetal motifs, but in the fourth bay a large panel depicting Christ in Majesty has been saved and restored. This set was made at the end of the 14th or 15th century and represents Christ surrounded by the symbol of the four evangelists: the eagle of John, the angel of Matthew, the lion of Mark and the bull of Luke. Note a small kneeling figure in the lower left corner who is, as her name inscribed next to it indicates, Jehanne Valentin the donor of this work. The church is generally closed but the Pays d'art et d'histoire Mende et Lot en Gévaudan offers guided tours depending on the program or by reservation. click to discover the circuit of Romanesque churches in the Land of Art and History

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