©valss|Office de Tourisme des Pyrénées cathares

Rupestral Church of Vals

Extraordinary and mysterious

Near Mirepoix, the small village of Vals hides a treasure: the three-storey semi-Rupestrian church, famous for its Romanesque frescoes of great historical and artistic interest. Built into the rock, this church is a real gem of Pyrenean Romanesque art.

Léo

I entered a crack in the wall: about twenty steps up a stone staircase and I discovered a three-level sanctuary.
Surprised, I move forward and remain in ecstasy in front of the carefully preserved frescoes, which have been there since the 11th century: fresco of the Annunciation, fresco of the Nativity, the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Andrew....
A surprising church that hides many of its jewels.

A church in the rock

Here, 3,000 years of history await you. But it wasn’t until the 19th century that Abbé Durand discovered this semi-troglodyte church and its exceptional frescoes. It was listed as a historic monument in 1910.

Traces of the church date back as far as the 11th century, and it has undergone numerous renovations and extensions over the centuries, enabling it to survive to the present day.

The originality of this church lies in its three-storey construction: the crypt, then the apse and finally the upper part, which serves as the nave, with the beautiful tower dedicated to the archangel Saint Michael.

A setting for a rare and precious jewel…

the village of vals

Frescoes

Hidden in the rock

It all starts with the entrance to the church… It’s through a crack between two Poudingue rocks. The mystery begins! You squeeze through this narrow passage into the crypt.

The crypt is built into the rock. This is the oldest part of the building. The walls are thick and the light barely filters through fine openings, contributing to the atmosphere of mystery and contemplation in this unusual chapel.

A few steps lead up to the frescoes. The exceptional character of this cave church is not just due to its troglodyte appearance! Here your eyes will be drawn to a treasure that has been preserved since the 12th century: superb Romanesque frescoes of Catalan origin. They bear some resemblance to those of neighbouring Spanish Catalonia. They illustrate three periods in the life of Jesus, from his birth to the Last Judgement.

Thanks to the miracle of the restoration campaigns, the colours of the frescoes are almost as they were in their early days… We are fortunate to be able to admire these frescoes in their original setting, in the contemplative atmosphere of the place for which they were designed, and not in the cold context of a museum…

The modern church is in the upper section. From here, you can access a terrace for a commanding view of the village and surrounding area.