Concathédrale Saint-Mari de Forcalquier

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The church of Saint-Mari de Forcalquier (sometimes Saint-Mary) was concathedral of the diocese of Sisteron from the 11th to the 15th century. It already existed around 950, under the name of Sainte-Marie-et-Saint-Thyrse church. Since the city of Forcalquier was better fortified than Sisteron, Bishop Arnoux had the relics of Saint Mari (or Marius or Mary) transported there, in front of the danger of the razzias of the Saracens. The church then changed its name, and welcomed a chapter at the beginning of the eleventh century. It is frequently, but erroneously, called Sainte-Marie (female and with variable spellings of Mary). This is a mistake, due to several causes:

Saint Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, is much more known than Saint Marius, a local saint; the original term of the church was precisely Sainte-Marie; throughout the period from the 11th century to the 14th century, it borders with a Sainte-Marie church (now Notre-Dame du Bourguet); Finally, when Saint-Mari's church was bombed in 1481, Notre-Dame-du-Bourguet inherited his duties and dignity. Bishop Géraud raised him to the rank of concathedral, unable to enter his city of Sisteron in the second half of the 11th century. She...