Abbaye de la Madone-des-Prés

About

The Abbey of La Madone-des-Prés was a Catholic church in Levens, France.

Location: The church is located in the French department of Alpes-Maritimes, in the municipality of Levens, chemin de la Madonna.

History: The Chartrier of the abbey of Saint-Pons outside the walls indicates that this priory already existed in 1075 during the donation to the abbey of Saint-Pons, which keeps it until the Revolution by the three sons of Raimbaud, Viscount of Nice: Pierre, Bishop of Sisteron and then of Vaison, Laugier le Roux, Rostan (or Rostaing), their sons and nephews, and their cousin Laugier-Rostaing, son of Rostan (or Rostaing) of Gréolières. In 1109, Laugier, Viscount of Nice, gave his fief de Levens to Saint-Pons Abbey in Nice. The abbey kept this fief until it was bought by the Count of Provence, Charles d'Anjou, in 1251. The church of the Madonna-des-Près was the first church in Levens. Its style links it to the first Romanesque art and dates approximately from the 3rd quarter of the 11th century. Jacques Thirion placed his construction between those of the church Saint-Dalmas-du-Plan de Valdeblore and the church Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Villevieille de Châteauneuf-Villevieille....