Église Notre-Dame du Cros

English translation

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History

At the foot of the Montagne Noire, the hamlet of Notre-Dame-du-Cros is situated 1.5 km to the north-east of the village of Caunes-Minervois, at the outlet of the narrow gorges of the Cros stream, in immediate proximity to a marble quarry still in operation. Several legends are attached to the establishment of a place of devotion around a miraculous spring that cures fevers. The permanence of worship at Notre-Dame-du-Cros is attested, with very numerous processions and the presence of a hermitage. The first textual mention of a church dates from 1119 in a bull of Pope Gelasius II addressed to the abbot of Caunes: the "villa" of Cros with its church is a possession of the abbey of Caunes. The abbey of Caunes exercised an attraction over several neighbouring grouped or scattered habitats. The terroir of Caunes with its ecclesiastical lordship corresponds to the more general phenomenon of the regrouping of habitat between the 11th century and the 13th century: thus the texts preserve the trace of seven terroirs linked to churches or habitats for the most part disappeared. That of Cros perpetuated itself in the form of a chapel linked to a particular devotion to the Virgin and to a pilgrimage. The hypothesis of an ancient sacred enclosure was formulated by D. Baudreu based on old plans: "directly above the Cros stream, a parcel boundary is observed enveloping around the church, suggesting at a diameter of sacred enclosure of 56 m, close to the 60 m of ecclesiastical enclosures founded during the Peace of God at the end of the 10th century." Sold as national property, the church and hermitage are bought by Antoine Bouclet, brother of the hermit then returned in 1797 to 300 inhabitants of Caunes, who became owners by joint ownership. In 1997, the remaining families cede their rights to the bishopric, the diocesan association becomes owner and an association "The friends of Notre-Dame-du-Cros" is created. In 2001, Passionist fathers are installed in the presbytery entirely refitted. The church of Cros bears in the abundance and richness of its decoration and furnishings the testimony of the extraordinary marble-working activity that took place in Caunes from the 17th century to the 19th century.

Description

The church is composed of a vast nave of 3 bays opening onto a flat chevet and buttressed by two side chapels on each side. The construction is regular rectangular calcareous rubble stone of ochre colour, it was covered with render entirely removed. A porch entrance on the south, rib vault, shelters a classical portal with pilasters, entablature and broken pediment. Under this porch is found a Gothic niche with a polychrome Virgin and Child of the 14th century. Another porch on the west wall allows access to the nave by eight steps. The nave is vaulted with plaster rib vaults. The side chapels are vaulted with stone rib vaults. The straight choir is adorned with three altarpieces of pink marble of Caunes and white stone of Ventenac. In the nave the first two, the oldest (late 17th century) are of the same style, they are dedicated to the Passion of Christ and adorned with very large statues of the characters of the entombment. A marble balustrade identical to that of the choir gives unity to this ensemble, to which were added in the 19th century two chapels dedicated to Sainte-Germaine and to Saint-Joseph. Notarial deeds inform us of the embellishments of the church: -1660: entrance door carved by Jean Baux -1681-1687: altarpiece of the high altar -1687: the two side altarpieces by the widow of Jean Baux - the communion table is created by Antoine Chalmeau, marble worker of Caunes, who worked at the church of La Daurade and at the church of Saint-Etienne in Toulouse - in 1690 and 1693, the altarpieces of the two chapels, commissioned by Gabriel d'Alibert, lord of Villemoustaussou, are created by Jacques Séguier and Antoine Galinier. - 1706: Antoine Galinier creates the pulpit - 1748-1775: construction of the high altar by Etienne Cauquil. - late 18th century: refurbishment of the choir vault - 1858-1867: addition of the Sainte-Germaine chapel (to the south) on the site of the old sacristy - 1867: addition of the chapel of Saint-Joseph, on the site of the pulpit which was installed on the pillar of the nave, between the two chapels - 1898: work is carried out on the roof of the choir on the plans of the diocesan architect Saulnier, with a raising of the wall by one metre to be able to place the canal tiles (3 vault keystones of the 13th-14th century removed are preserved) -1895-1901: a Rosary is installed on a neighbouring parcel, with fifteen chapels celebrating the joyful, glorious and sorrowful mysteries of the Life of Christ. - 1900: the roof of the three bays of the nave is redone - 1913: the west facade is cleared with the demolition of several buildings of the hermitage, which is rebuilt further north (1922-1929)