Raphèle-lès-Arles

The most interesting monument in Raphèle-lès-Arles is undoubtedly its church.

The history of this religious building begins even before its construction in 1682. That year, the neighboring church of Moulès opened, forcing the residents to walk nearly an hour to attend sermons. However, due to the small size of the church, the inhabitants of Raphèle-lès-Arles were often forced to stay outside during services, and “this church was still quite far from Raphèle, and the paths connecting the two villages were often in very poor condition.” Thus, the residents requested the construction of a church for their parish towards the end of the 18th century.

The proclamation of the Republic in 1848 was met with some fear regarding the church’s construction; indeed, those now governing the country were the same who had demolished many religious buildings in 1793. Fortunately, the mayor, the Marquis de Grille, was a convinced royalist and a close friend of the White Penitents. The construction of the church officially started in 1850.

Mr. Véran, a member of the Blue Penitents, was chosen as the architect for the project. His first design was magnificent… but it was far too expensive. Unable to find a compromise, a new architect was chosen, Mr. Heraut, who completed the church in 1853 (it cost about 12,000 old francs, which was half the cost of the original project).

The inhabitants were very happy to finally have their own religious building for their parish, even though the building was not very beautiful to look at: no bell tower, bare walls on the outside, and a severe lack of decoration inside. However, in previous years, due to the Revolution, many religious buildings had been forced to close throughout the country, leading to the concealment of many religious objects, safe from the destructive hands of the republicans. An old member of the White Penitents, Aninard, proposed to donate most of the hidden religious furniture from their chapel, so they could be put back to traditional use. Among the religious items donated was a bell from 1819. The following year, finally decorated inside (but still without a bell tower), the church was consecrated, and the first abbot moved into the brand new building. Many village inhabitants continued to offer gifts to the church (paintings, carpets, draperies, fabrics, and even baptismal fonts). Two plots of land adjacent to the church were offered to it, the first in 1854 (allowing the church to add a large cross in front of its portal) and the second in 1856 (to establish the cemetery). A bell tower was finally erected in 1859 and the bell installed inside, all according to the original plans and drawings by Mr. Véran. The church would continue to undergo various transformations in the following years, including the construction of side chapels in 1863 and the addition of stained glass in 1893.