QR 3 Church of Saint Jacques Méolans Revel

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Info

Mass every July 25, 11 am, St Jacques' day, preceded by a little pilgrimage and followed by a festive meal organized by the association St Jacques en chemins.
Contact : 06 26 99 63 72
Presbytery (Barcelonnette) 04 92 81 01 41
Guided tour on summer: ask the town hall for further information about the visit times. 04 9281 08 69
Association St Jacques en chemins : contact 0672 01 42 05
Photo credits: Françoise Nègre

Description

Church dedicated to St James the Greater, very old, datable to the XIIth century, reconstructed and restored several times over the centuries ( different materials on the old basis of tuff and the upper part of local blue/grey stone), situated in Revel on a promontory dominating the Ubaye Valley and facing the St Julien Church and the bell tower of Méolans.
It is possible that it was on the way of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela from Cuneo in Italia, as attested by the dedication of the church, the presence of a very beautiful marble statue representing St Jacques and dated XVth century, a 1851 Patritti's work showing St Jacques designating the empty tomb and the Risen Jesus, and the presence of a shell motif painted on the altar of the church of St Julien, in Méolans. ( once the road cut through the Ubaye River there and continued on the other side.)
The Church is directed towards the east. A niche on the west facade (portal) houses a copy of the St Jacques statue. The original one, restored thanks to the Meolans Municipality, is only shown at the feast of St Jacques as a result of the raps that previously occurred in this Church (including a wonderful old polychrome wooden statue of St Jacques).
The choir, square, with a vault of crossed ogives, presents a dissymmetry and a misalignment with the nave, what let us suppose that it was reconstructed further north for greater safety. This followed a subsidence towards the southwest, the slope and the precipice.
Inside there are some outstanding works:

  • A beautiful Pietà, popular workmanship and full of faith, with splendid warm colours, dating from the XVIIth century. From the same time, some amazing representation of the Apostle Paul (the Apostle Peter one having disappeared…), of St Jean Baptiste and of the Archangel Michael.
  • A donation of the rosary to saint Dominic dated from the XVIIth century. (the 2 collages of the bottom right corner have been added later, may be after a deterioration)
  • A wonderful XVIIth century walnut altar with an elm tabernacle dedicated to Saint Joseph
  • A stoup made with marble of Serennes dated from 1826
  • Very beautiful walnut credence in the sacristy

Initiated by the Municipality, the beautiful outside restoration was finished in 2012. An appeal for donations is open. You can participate through the Fondation du Patrimoine or the Association "St Jacques en chemins ".