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In 1641, work began on the construction of a new church to replace the former parish church in the Villa di Mezzo district of Piazza Savé, which had become too small to accommodate the congregation. In 1686, the structural and finishing work was completed. At this date, the church had a nave with a main nave and four side chapels dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, St. James the Apostle, Our Lady of Good Help and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as three other unconsecrated altars, while the choir had a high altar. The building also features a wooden pulpit and a stoup in the middle section of the church.
A second major renovation campaign took place in the mid-18th century, focusing on the choir, with the erection of a new high altar and the installation of stalls. The work was completed in 1752. On this date, the church was elevated to the rank of collegiate church by Pope Benedict XIV, as attested by the papal bull preserved by the commune. Over the course of its history, the church counted from 2 to 8 canons, as Canon Casanova points out in his book on the history of the Corsican Church under the Ancien Régime.
In the course of the 19th century, further work was carried out on the building, as highlighted by parish priest Marchini in a letter sent to the grand vicars capitular on September 13, 1905. He listed the main works carried out during the aforementioned century: repair of the choir in 1815, reconstruction of the frontispiece in 1855, tiling of the nave in 1866, the bell tower in 1899, and the nave roof structure in 1901. In the final years of the 19th century, the painter Sicuri adorned the church with monumental paintings.
During the 3rd quarter of the 20th century, a new restoration project was completed in 1974, focusing on the exterior plasterwork.
From 1992 to 1993, renovation work was carried out on the facade of the building, which was listed in its entirety on the supplementary inventory of Historic Monuments on September 6, 1985. Further work was carried out at the beginning of the 21st century.
In 2002, under the direction of Jacques Moulin, architecte D.P.L.G, architecte en chef des Monuments Historiques, a collection of liturgical ornaments, two pieces of sacristy furniture and a processional canopy donated by Emperor Napoleon III were installed in the sacristy.... In 2006, the church tower and north elevation were restored, and in 2009, the main facade and south side elevation.
On March 18, 2013, the church was listed as a historic monument.
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Office de Tourisme Intercommunal de L'Ile Rousse-Balagne - 19/08/2025
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