Église Saint-Félix

English translation

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History

A diploma of Charlemagne dated 5 April 806 attributes the church to the abbot of Lagrasse. It was on this title that the abbots of Lagrasse subsequently relied, to claim, without success, the totality of the lordship. From the 9th century onwards, indeed, the territory of Lézignan was found to be fragmented into three parts: one reverting to Lagrasse, another to Spanish emigrants, the third to the royal fisc. In a bull of Pope Gelasius II enumerating, in 1119, the possessions of the abbey of Lagrasse, Lézignan figured there for its churches Saint-Félix and Saint-Nazaire, and had the denomination of "castrum". The church of Saint-Félix is mentioned in the charter of 899. The priest serving, presented by the abbot of Lagrasse, was instituted by the archbishop of Narbonne. In the 13th century, this church is then the seat of a provostry. It figures as parochial in the Vatican registers of 1351. In 1453, the priory of Saint-Félix is united to the conventual mensa. From then on, the church is served by three secular priests, designated by the chapter. The edifice presents a vast single nave, divided into four bays, framed by lateral chapels (seven chapels, the eighth being replaced by the porch) and terminated by a chevet with seven sides. This sanctuary is framed, to the north by a small square turret, to the south by an old sacristy, extended to the east in the 19th century by a new sacristy leaning against the buttresses of the chevet. The bell tower frames, with the porch, the bay at the end. There remains of the Romanesque edifice only the rear wall and four masses which framed the nave at the level of the second and third doubled arches. These elements are recognizable by the small elongated ashlar and the nature of the material (grey limestone). Like later the Gothic nave, this vessel must have been covered with a roof structure supported by diaphragm arches no doubt in round arch. During the repair of the roofing, shingles cut with an axe were found, probably dating from the 11th or 12th century and reused during the Gothic reconstruction. It is probable that the Romanesque master mason had planned two symmetric square towers, framing the penultimate bay, towers perhaps destroyed later or left unfinished. Above the old western gable wall rises a wall pierced by four openings which limits the end of the current nave. It seems that this part is an old bell-wall preserved for economy when it became necessary to close the end of the Gothic nave. This bell-wall would have been built after the abandonment of the project of lateral towers, around the middle of the 13th century. Another hypothesis would be that of a more recent resumption of the median part of the rear wall, either as a result of a repair, or by the lighting of a projected gallery. The construction of the Gothic parts (13th-14th century) visibly began with the chevet. The first four lateral chapels should be considered as later (15th century?). The completion of the edifice in the 15th century concerns only the end bay, with the porch and the bell tower that frame it, and the two adjacent chapels. The bell tower is a powerful square tower. A widely opened arcade onto the nave gives access to a chapel. Its upper storeys are vaulted, the first in cloister arch, the second in dome. To the west of this massive tower, and in its axis, is attached the polygonal staircase turret, higher by one storey. The turret attached to the porch was leaned without connection against the old western Romanesque wall. In 1877, installation of the gallery. In 1856, establishment of brick vaults over the nave, woodwork of the choir, raising of the flooring.