St. Vincent Church
Facts and practical information
The Saint-Vincent de Mantet church is a Romanesque church located in Mantet, in the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales.
Dedicated to Saint Vincent, it was consecrated in September 1102 by the bishop of Elne and the prior of Sainte-Marie de Corneilla-de-Conflent and placed under this double apostolic authority.
It is from this period that the original constructions can be dated, of which the first level of the apse, assembled in granite blocks of rather imposing size, and the walls of the north and west sides remain.
The bell tower was built later above the apse. It is an arcaded wall-belfry in whose opening are two cast iron bells dated from the 19th century.
On the first is inscribed: "Sit nomem domini benedictum Mantet Jean Baptiste 1818, Decharme fondeur."
On the second, which comes from the foundry Louison Lévêque and Amans Gendre successor, in Toulouse, one can read the inscription: "Sit nomem domini benedictum. Godfather Vincent Vidal, assistant. Godmother Marie Vidal, donors. Curé Sarradeill, Mayor J. Ricard, 1878."
Before entering the church, to the left of the entrance door, is a curious vestige. Leaning against the façade and raised on a pedestal, a rectangular granite block has been hollowed out in its center with a foculus, a shallow square-shaped cavity that is connected to the front edge of the stone slab by an obliquely carved gutter-weir. This arrangement may evoke the practice of ritual libations of an ancient religion, which would indicate the presence of a pagan altar stone, witness to a cult prior to the Christianization of the site.
Occitanie
Occitanie