The Church St Michel

The first mention of the parish church of Grimaud appeared in 1069 in a charter of the cartulary of the abbey of Saint Victor Marseille: Pons, son of Viscount William, exchanged with the monks of Saint-Victor half the lordship of Grimaud located in the castle against Freinet Vidauban. However, the location and architecture of the early church remain undetermined. The church as it is offered to us today dates from the second age Provencal Romanesque (late twelfth - early thirteenth century). The shell granite and limestone elements (cornices, arches and arched door) are paired with care. Its construction required a significant mobilization of men and beasts for transport of materials, substantial financial resources and a large technical expertise. This makes it a remarkable building for the time, there is no equivalent in the Freinet, a relatively poor country where cultural premises were modest construction.
Inside, the decor (nineteenth century) represents St. Michael slaying a dragon surrounded by St. Peter and St. Bartholomew (rather than St. Paul whose worship is rare in Provence). Previously, the walls were covered with ocher-colored plaster and perhaps completely decorated with a painted decoration as we can still see some remains.