Ancienne église paroissiale Saint-Martin-de-Jussan

English translation

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History

The present church certainly replaced a pagan building. Gallo-Roman remains found on the commune are numerous. The church was surrounded by a township of the same name of which it was the parish church until the 14th century. At that time, the inhabitants take refuge behind the ramparts of Tresques to protect themselves from the great companies, abandoning houses and church. All religious services are then ensured in the seigneurial chapel of Tresques which becomes the parish church. Saint-Martin de Jussan remained always a place of pilgrimage. During the Revolution, the church is sold as national property. The building has a single nave and semi-circular apse. The nave is covered with a barrel vault with round arch, whose ends are charged with sculpture in low relief (reclining figures, dog, dove). The apse is covered with a cove vault. Externally, the chevet is articulated by four Lombard strips while a rank of Lombard arcatures underlines the eaves cornice. A small square bell turret, with toothed string course and stone pyramid, rises on the first bay. It is pierced by four openings with round arch. The entrance door, on the south, presents fairly rich ornamentation. On the archivolt, varied motifs (palmettes, stylised leaves, rosettes) alternate with birds and confronted figures. This church is the result of two campaigns of construction: the first concerns the chevet and the adjoining bay; the second corresponds probably to an enlargement of the church and concerns the west bay, built in different ashlar and slightly later than the first part.