Medieval Painted Ceilings in Lagrasse

The small French village, Lagrasse, can boast of a remarkable treasure of medieval painted ceilings

South of Narbonne in in the department Aude lies a small fortified village, Lagrasse, located right at the confluence of the Alsou and the Orbieu rivers at the foot of the Pyrenees. A charming place it can boast of an attractive market in the center, a lovely medieval bridge and any number of medieval houses in the center.

The village grew up around the Lagrasse Abbey also called Sainte-Marie d’Orbieu. It was founded in the 7^th century by the Abbot of Narbonne, Nimphridius. It soon acquired land, castles, priories and land and during the 12^th century it ruled over a large territory encompassing the land around Toulouse, Béziers and the County of Urgell.

In 2004 a community of canons regular moved to Lagrasse. The community lives according to the rule of St. Augustine and the canons dedicate their life to evangelization and to the development of liturgy (celebrating the Tridentine mass also called the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.

There is public access to the ancient parts of the abbey, which (partly) stems from the Carolingian times. The Abbey has undergone careful reconstruction and been excavated by archaeologists.

Medieval Paintings in Lagrasse

However, the painted ceilings in the medieval houses in Lagrasse are the real treasure. These ceilings can be found around different houses and access is not always possible. One of the most remarkable is the Maison de presbytère de Lagrasse, which has as a ceiling decorated with all the thinkable and unthinkable vices, you might imagine.

Recently an exhibition opened in the “Maison du Patrimoine de Lagrasse” (in the Presbytère) telling the story of these remarkable paintings and the exquisite vignettes. The exhibition also shows a series of painted boards from a house in Montpellier, plus presents the history behind the art-form in general. Another part of the exhibition consists of 19 boards, which were recently put up for sale by their owner. It appears some of the houses in Lagrasse are not properly protected and many are as yet not properly studied or restored.