Saint Michel was a large and beautiful church. It has finally regained all its splendor.
After 2 years of work, the Saint Michel church in Sospel opens its doors onto a nave and decorations that have become splendid once again.
The State, the General Council, the C.A.R.F., the Municipality, and the residents have mobilized with the help of the Heritage Foundation to finance the 1,600,000 euros of work.
This is equivalent to 45 jobs, over a year, of journeyman masons, fresco artists, painters, restorers, workers, and technicians that were required.
The result is remarkable and allows the commune of Sospel to fully restore its potential for attractiveness.
Undertaken under the guidance of Pierre Antoine Gatier, chief architect of historical monuments, the goal was to restore identically all the significant elements from the time of its initial construction.
A bit of history…
For several decades, the commune wished to restore it but hesitated due to the financial burden. The decision was finally made to undertake the work. The impetus came from a lady in the commune who initiated a significant bequest, sufficient to carry out the most urgent work and avert the “closure for danger” order.
Then the State (the DRAC) and the General Council assured the Mayor of their financial commitment. But there remained a significant share for the commune to bear, which was not easily compatible with its resources.
In 2009, the Mayor of Sospel signed an agreement with the Heritage Foundation. The goal? To give the inhabitants of the commune, who are sensitive to its history and architectural heritage, the opportunity to directly express their support for the municipal council’s decision by financially participating in the project.
This mobilization allows the commune to lighten its own financial contribution.
This restoration will enhance tourism attractiveness. For the appeal of the Sospel site and its heritage have been the main economic resources of the commune since the 1950s. It boasts two buildings classified as Historical Monuments (Saint Michel and the Old Bridge over the Bévéra River), as well as several registered buildings or elements.
Saint Michel
Dominating a large square lined with arcaded palaces and chapels, the building was constructed in the mid-17th century, on the site of an earlier Romanesque church, of which the 13th-century Lombard bell tower remains. The façade, consisting of two orders separated by a rich entablature, is topped by a triangular pediment typical of the “early Roman Baroque.”
Two Penitent chapels flank the church, which was once a Cathedral during the Great Western Schism.
The very colorful interior ornamentations were executed in the Baroque style by artists from Piedmont and Liguria.
Classified as a Historical Monument in 1951, the church houses a famous three-panel altarpiece attributed to François Brea.
