Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Vanxains, located in the village of Vanxains in the Dordogne, is a composite building whose origins date back to the twelfth century. It is characterized by a nave of three spans, the last two of which are vaulted in a broken cradle, while the northern part is bordered by a vaulted Gothic bottom side, added in the sixteenth century. This sideline communicates with the Romanesque nave, leaving visible traces of the primitive windows above the arches. The sanctuary, with a flat bedside pierced by a triplet of bays in the heart of the city, is vaulted with a dome on pendants, typical of regional Romanesque architecture.

The choir, surmounted by the remains of the primitive bell tower, opens onto a vaulted side chapel in basket cove. A western bell tower, built in the 16th century, dominates the first span of the nave, reinforced to support this structure. The church was once the seat of the King of the Double, an ecclesiastical territory of 41 parishes. The construction campaigns took place in two major phases: the nave and the choir in the 12th century, followed by fortifications and the addition of the north side to the 16th century. Later, perhaps in the 17th century, the Romanesque bell tower was masked by a roof, while a new bell tower was erected as a facade after the foundations were consolidated.

The ensemble, classified as Historical Monument by decree of 14 October 1908, illustrates the architectural evolution between Roman and Gothic, as well as the defensive and liturgical adaptations over the centuries. The presence of adorned columns and arches in the choir, combined with subsequent modifications, testifies to the historical and religious significance of this site in the Double region of New Aquitaine.

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