Eglise Saint Jean Baptiste de Vif

The discovery of 14th- and 15th-century mural paintings under the plaster covering the walls suddenly sparked renewed interest in this church. Despite its origins, which probably date back a long way, the church's exterior architecture is highly heterogeneous: an 11th-century tufa chevet, 13th-century side walls that have since been plastered over, and a 19th-century bell tower-porch that has distorted the western façade.
However, in February 2007, while work was being carried out on the church's electrical system, soundings were taken, revealing traces of a new building on the upper part of the aisles.
the upper part of the side aisles, traces of ochre, red and brown decoration...
Since then, the church of Saint Jean Baptiste has become a meeting point for the Conseil Général's heritage curators, academics, archaeologists and historians - notably the Amis de la Vallée de La Gesse, who have been tirelessly studying the canton's history for decades.

Most recently, the murals have attracted the interest of scientists from the Orsay laboratories and Ann Arbor University in Chicago. As a result, our paintings have been featured in the Anglo-Saxon scientific press and were the subject of a conference at the Louvres.
For its part, the municipality, in conjunction with the Conseil Général and the DRAC, is considering ways of ensuring the conservation and enhancement of these frescoes.

Recently, the Commission Nationale des Monuments Historiques (National Commission for Historic Monuments) issued a favorable opinion on the Vif commune's proposal to classify the church of St-Jean-Baptiste.