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THE SAINT-GEORGES CHAPEL: HISTORY |
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There is a marked absence of any historical information about the Saint-Georges chapel in early documentation. Neither the records from the nearby abbey of Joncels nor those of the Lodève diocese make any mention of the chapel. In the decree of 8 June 1135 when Pope Innocence II confirmed that the chapel came under the authority of the abbey of Joncels, there was no additional detail. The first basic information is in the form of reports of pastoral visits in the 17th Century (1636). It was almost certainly the predecessor of the Lunas church where, in 1550, a brotherhood of the parish of Lunas, under the protection of St-Georges, had its seat (Abbot Alzieu, diocese researcher).
Pastoral visits from
1687-1691 and 1747-1764 make no mention of Saint-Georges, which suggests that by
that time it had become abandoned. Nevertheless, the Abbot Chabrol contradicts this hypothesis: ‘It should be recognised that Saint-Georges of Lunas was the prince of Cappadoce, the famous martyr and slayer of the dragon, beheaded during the final tyranny of Diocletian. (Cappadoce: a former province of Asia Minor, Centre of the Hittite civilisation and first home of Christianity - Diocletian : Roman Emperor 284-305 - St-Georges : Patron Saint of England, very old religious group in Greece) Given the chapel’s simplicity and lack of decoration, its remains are said to belong to the pre-Romanesque Visigoth era (5th & 6th Centuries). However this little chapel’s design is not really Visigoth and can be compared with accurately dated pre-Romanesque churches in the region such as the Saint-Michel-de-Cuxac and the crypt of Lodève that were both consecrated in 975. Hence, it makes sense to assume that the chapel was built either in the 9th or more probably the 10th Century. Abbot Cabrol makes the following comment:
"According to various historians,
the construction of the chapel should be dated around 860. At this time, the
relics of Saint-Georges, given to Charles the Bald (823-877) by the Calif of
Cordoba, crossed the south of France, passing through Narbonne on the way to
Paris and churches were founded in his honour. Around 30 can be found between
Toulouse and the banks of the river Hérault and the next closest is situated
near Quarante. The terraced ground in front of the chapel used to belong to the Fourestier family of Lunas, who strengthened the horseshoe shaped arch before giving the land to the parish in 1933. Today, the chapel is the property of the parish. About 40 years ago, abbot Cabrol, Mrs Boutet Jun., Nouguier and Bernal (inhabitants of Lunas) planted Cypress trees and cleared the sidewalls of the nave. In this way, they re-established the original setting of the chapel. Since then, the society of “LES AMIS DE LUNAS" has overseen necessary repairs and strengthening but more work is still required. Lunassiens remember ancient customs and one of note that has continued for many years at Saint-Goerges is the offering of flowers. In other records made by Abbot Cabrol, he notes that when a Mr Audie planted a new vineyard ‘facing north to the left of the chapel’, he came across fragments of lamps and three graves about 10 metres from the chapel. The bones were found resting on tiles and, as was Visigoth custom, the graves lay with feet pointing east. Today this land is owned by the commune. The chapel first became listed as a Historical Monument by a ministerial decision in 1988, but was only classified relatively recently, in April 1997. This interesting remnant of a building that was witness to prior populations and an integral part of the village’s history and cultural past continues to be respected and protected. The
parts of this text that cover architecture and history, are based on records
from the Archaeological and Historical Society of the Upper Hérault, studies
made by the archaeologist André Signol and different documents provided by
Doctor Marc, and the Abbots Cabrol and Géry.
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