Saint-Michel-de-Gast church

It is located on the right bank of the river Vésubie, opposite the old village. It is signposted with the words ‘Église des Templiers’ (Church of the Knights Templar). A legend that took shape at the end of the 19th century and flourished throughout the 20th associated the church with the Order of the Knights Templar. However, there is no evidence or text to support such a claim. What began as a mere hypothesis has, over time, become the truth for many. The church of Le Gast was donated in 1141 to the military and religious order of Saint John of Jerusalem (the Hospitallers). The Bishop of Nice, who managed the abbey's property, made the donation. The village grew up on the left bank, outside the territory of Le Gast, which belonged to this ecclesiastical lordship, with the result that the parish church was not in the village, not even on the edge, but on the other side of the Vésubie, on the right bank. Until 1846, the river was crossed using wooden beams laid directly on the banks. As soon as the river swelled, these beams had to be removed and access to the church was interrupted. The church as we see it today was built or rebuilt and completed in 1533, the date being inscribed on the 2nd keystone. The classical-style frontispiece was added in 1868. The clock was supplied by Arsène Crétin-L'Ange from Morbier. Its very large dial has a diameter of 3.2 m so that it can be seen from the old village. Saint-Michel-de-Gast is a ‘consecrated’ church (in which masses are still celebrated) but it is not possible to visit it at the moment as it is being renovated. You will notice that the façade was redone in 2024. Until 2020 (the date of storm Alex in the Vésubie valley), the Roquebillière war memorial stood next to the church. It was washed away along with the bridge leading to the old village, but has now been rebuilt.