The only thing left of the Romanesque church of Saint-Martin is its beautiful sculpted, listed portal. It retains a great deal of mystery because its history remains unknown.
Description
"The portal in reddish and brown volcanic tuff is adorned with three deep arches framed by an archivolt with a rich decoration carved with motifs as strange as they are varied: characters, devouring monsters, sirens... We find the same motif as on a capital of the church of Lespéron, namely that of a character holding a snake in both hands, the head of which comes to the level of his chin and which wraps around his right leg. The arches rest on small columns with sculpted capitals, one of which is particularly noteworthy. It depicts a woman bitten in the breasts by snakes, a motif generally interpreted as symbolizing the punishment of lust. As for the birds that peck the character's ears, are they symbols of temptation or slander? In his book "The Architecture of the Romanesque Churches of the Vivarais", Michel Joly puts forward the hypothesis that this portal could be the work of the same workshop as that which produced the facade of the abbey church of Monastier Saint-Chaffre, which is not very far from Coucouron. Inside the building, you can see a large Christ on the cross, admirably carved in oak, a work of art that dates from the XNUMXth century. » http://www.patrimoine-ardeche.com.
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