Eglise Sainte-Anne

Located in Meymans, this church was dedicated to Notre-Dame and then Sainte Anne in the 13th century. A former dependency of the Prieuré de Jaillans, it was fortified in the 14th century and topped by a parapet walk around the roof of the nave.

It comprises a single nave leading to a transept and an apse flanked by two apses. The bell tower, whose first two storeys are Romanesque, and the chevet and apses, carefully faced in tufa stone, give the church its homogeneous and exceptional character.

Originally dedicated to Sainte-Marie, this 13th-century Romanesque church in Meymans depended in the Middle Ages on the nearby priory of Jaillans.

The modern portal leads to a heavily altered nave. Beyond, however, the church has retained its Romanesque features. The transept crossing, defined by double-rolled arches resting on massive pillars, is barrel-vaulted. The transept crosspieces also feature barrel vaults, but placed perpendicular to the axis of the nave. They open onto two oriented chapels flanking the nave. The interior walls are covered with modern whitewash.

Outside, the tufa rubble chevet is remarkably well preserved. The bell tower, built over the crossing, is surprisingly high. It is arranged in five levels, clearly separated by thick mouldings. The solid base is followed by four levels of bays. The blind arcatures on the lower level and the wide, three-roll semicircular openings on the second level belong to the Romanesque period. The top two floors are probably 17th-century additions. On the terrace supporting the building, the former cemetery has preserved a number of ancient tombs.