Saint Gilles church
AMBIALET , Tarn – Cultural heritage
About
The church of St Gilles, a former parish church with a choir carved into the rock, was restored in 1994 and is used as an exhibition hall for paintings and sculptures from May to September.
The Church of St Gilles is one of the three churches of Ambialet. Anchored on the rock, it overlooks the river. A former parish church, it was built in the 11th century. It was dedicated to one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages, Saint Gilles, a hermit in the forests of Gaul. The counts of Toulouse, originally from Saint-Gilles du Gard, venerated him particularly.
Several times burned and destroyed, since the Albigensian War and during the Wars of Religion, it was recently restored to serve as an exhibition hall.
It is about 12 metres long and 10 metres wide, and provides space for about forty large paintings. The lighting has been adapted. The choir, carved into the rock face, and the pointed vault, highlight the paintings and sculptures.
Above the church, the bell tower perched on a platform rests on the remains of a Roman fort. Behind the bell tower, a staircase carved into the rock leads to a pier to the other side of the river.
Inside, you can read a translation of the charter in the langue d’oc granted to the inhabitants of Ambialet by Roger Trencavel, lord of Ambialet, Albi and Carcassonne.
Numerous exhibitions during the summer (see our Festivals and Events section).
