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Origin and history

The church Saint-Barthélemy de Montfaucon, located in the Lot department in Occitanie, was built in two major phases. The first campaign, at the beginning of the 14th century, focused on the choir, while the nave and side chapels were added after the Hundred Years' War, until the end of the 15th century. Its origin is linked to the foundation of the bastide of Montfaucon by the English in 1292, on a pech (colline) ceded in 1286 by Pons de Gourdon, local lord. The building, in Gothic style with a Latin cross plan, incorporates defensive elements like a guard room above the northern chapel, reflecting its turbulent historical context.

During the Hundred Years War, Montfaucon was occupied by the roadmen of Bertucat d'Albret in 1370, before being taken over by Rodrigue de Villandrando for the king of France in 1440. These conflicts delayed the completion of the church, whose nave and lateral chapels were not completed until the end of the 15th century. The bell tower, originally planned above the chapel of the Virgin (founded in 1482 by the priest Jean Conté), was finally rebuilt in the seventeenth century above the chapel of Saint James, in the south.

The church houses exceptional furniture, including three baroque altarpieces made of polychrome and gold wood, made by Jean Tournié's workshop (1647–1721). These works, dedicated to God the Father, St James and the Virgin, illustrate the artistic and religious importance of the place. Ranked a historic monument in 1936, the church underwent major restorations in the nineteenth century, notably for its roof, degraded since 1784, and its sacristy, added against the northern flank of the nave.

The vaults on dogive crosses, decorated with keys carved with the weapons of England, recall its Anglo-Gasconian origin. A spiral staircase, located in a rectangular turret, allowed access to a shelter room above the chapel of the Virgin, then to the bell chamber. This defensive device, combined with the movement of the portal (late 13th century), bears witness to the religious and military duality of the monument.

The northern chapel, dedicated to the Virgin, was founded in 1482 by Jean Conté, while the southern chapel, surmounted by superimposed rooms, received a bell tower around 1830. These successive adjustments reflect the evolution of the liturgical and defensive needs of the community. Today, the church remains an architectural testimony of medieval bastids and English influences in Guyenne.

Finally, a painting of the Saintes Femmes (1863), painted by Armand Félix Marie Jobbé-Duval, completes the furniture. This heritage, combined with the retables of Jean Tournié, underscores the cultural and spiritual role of the church throughout the centuries, from its Anglo-Norman foundation to its ranking among French historical monuments.

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