Église Saint-Denis de Valensole

About

Saint-Blaise Church, located under the name of Saint-Blaise, is a church located in the commune of Valensole in the French department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.

The parish church of Saint Blaise, former priory of the Abbey of Cluny founded by Saint Maieul, dominates the village. She owned a cloister, which disappeared but whose traces are found in the surrounding houses. The entire building is registered with the courtyard which has been around since 24 January 1994.

The nave, rebuilt in 1789-1790, forms a Latin cross, and is comprised between a western Romanesque facade and a large and remarkable choir by its Gothic architecture of the 14th century (according to Raymond Collier) or the 11th and 13th century according to the Historical Monuments. The two spans of the choir are arched dogives. Columns and columns embedded in the walls, with capitals adorned with acanthe leaves and fantastic figures, support the arches and crucifixes of the vault. The bas-cotés were added in the 14th century, chapels in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.