Église Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth de Valréas, Historical church in Valréas, France.
Église Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth is built entirely of large-cut stone blocks and covered with stone slabs. It has two bell towers: a square-based octagonal tower with round-arched openings below and trefoiled pointed openings above, and an arcade tower with three bell openings, the highest walled up. The south portal combines a central round arch with two Gothic side arches; the left side door is walled up, and carved figures and interlace are set into the masonry above.
The church probably grew out of an 11th-century Benedictine priory. The Romanesque core of apse, transept and nave was built in the 12th century, with side aisles added at the end of that century. A 15th-century bay and west facade followed, then lateral chapels from the 15th to the 19th century. It was classified as a monument historique in 1862.
The southern entrance displays a mix of Romanesque and Gothic characteristics through carved plant designs on the capitals. These stylistic shifts appear across different sections and show how the structure evolved as building tastes changed.
The building is easy to explore from the outside since it sits centrally in Valréas and is walkable from most areas. Keep in mind the church still functions for worship services, so certain areas may be restricted at specific times.
The organ case survives from an instrument built in 1667 by Nicolas Béraud of Valréas; the organ was moved to a new gallery on the west tribune in 1723–1724, and a second manual was added in the 19th century. It now has 25 stops on two manuals and pedal, with mechanical action.
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