Buoux - 84480 - The church of Sainte-Marie

The church of Sainte-Marie

Buoux - 84480

A promontory known as "des Escounfines" (the bounds) begins on the Claparèdes plateau above the village. A Romanesque church can be found here, dedicated to Sainte-Marie. It has been the parish church since the Middle Ages, although its isolated location appears strange today.
When today’s little agglomeration of dwellings first settled (around 1660), this place of worship satisfied the needs of the neighboring château and the dispersed rural population.
It is a pretty building (12th and 13th centuries) and has a sober architectural elegance: its roof of overlapping tiles, a bell-tower wall with two unequal bays, a single nave, a semi-cupola vaulted apse, a gateway with a finely bonded, semi-circular arch.
The altar was belatedly (17th century) mounted on a reredos with frame and inscribed dedication. Above the pier of the triumphal arch is a stone medieval inscription written in Gothic initials.
The old and new cemeteries are located next to the church. It is important to respect the silence that this haven of peace commands and to spare a thought for those in this place of rest who played a part in the daily life of the quiet village of Buoux.