Cargèse ( Carghjese in Corsican language) is a commune located in the departmental constituency of Corse-du-Sud and the territory of the community of Corsica.
It belongs to the ancient pieve of Sevinfuori, in the Deux-Sevi.
The village of Cargèse is located on the Punta di Cargese, at an altitude of almost 100 metres on a promontory at the northern end of the Gulf of Sagone, between the latter and the small Gulf of Peru. It is dominated by the bell towers of its two remarkable Catholic churches, of the Eastern and Latin rites.
A little reminder of the story:
From 1347, Corsica became Genoese. In 1676, the Greek settlers fled their lands from the invasion of the Turks and came to seek refuge on Corsican lands. The Republic of Genoa granted them permission to settle in the hinterland of Sagone, in Paomia, and gave them maquis lands which at that time were abandoned. However, the local civilizations were hostile to the arrival of these settlers, seeing them as allies of the Republic of Genoa, coming to cultivate their lands to enrich themselves. In 1732, this disagreement was too strong, fighting broke out, forcing the Greeks to take refuge in Ajaccio. In 1768, Genoa ceded Corsica which then came under the French regime. Thus, in 1773 the French governor of Corsica, Marbeuf, decided to give the territory of Cargèse to the Greek populations of the island. Around a hundred families settled there in 1775.
Two churches
As we have said, from 1775, the Greek community took up residence in Cargèse. At that time, its only place of worship was a small chapel installed in a village house. In 1846, there were about 500 Greeks in Cargèse, they then expressed the wish to see a church of their denomination built in the heart of the village.
The work began in 1868 and was completed in 1874. The faithful built their church with their own hands! Inside, the decor is neo-classical, the sanctuary is separated from the nave by a wooden partition decorated with icons called "iconostasis". This was offered by the prefect of the congregation of "Propaganda Fide" to the Greek church. The exterior is inspired by the neo-Gothic style.
Opposite this so-called “Greek” church, we find the so-called “Latin” church:
It was built first, its construction took place from 1822 to 1828. Let us recall that at this time the Greeks were already settled in Cargèse and had a small chapel as a place of ritual. The Catholic population also did not have a church. Faced with the demand and needs of the population, funds were collected from 1817, the land was donated by Antoine Andreani. In 1835, a violent storm destroyed the roof of the church while the interior development work was not yet completed.
In 1847, the church bell tower was finally built! From 1970 to 1975, the nave was painted, then from 1992 to 1997, two Russian painters decorated the choir.
Inside, the style is baroque with trompe l'oeil paintings.
Today, both churches are open to the public, and services are held every week, alternately in each of them. Both built on the heights of Cargèse, they offer a majestic panorama.
So don't miss this setting and this atypical configuration. It is very rare to see two churches of different faiths, face to face, united in one and the same village for one culture: Corsican culture.
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