Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Ribérac, originally a 12th century castral chapel, was attached to the nearby castle. Its architecture combines a rectangular nave, two sides, and a curvilinear frontal façade. The dome on pendants, decorated with paintings depicting the Virgin and the Evangelists, dominates the choir, extended by a semicircular apse decorated with blind arches. The murals, inspired by Renaissance and Baroque styles, probably date back to the 19th century, when the building was renovated.

In 1500 Odet d'Aydie and his wife Anne de Pons founded a collegiate church in Ribérac, transforming the old feudal chapel into a church adjacent to six canons until the Revolution. The building, partially destroyed during the Wars of Religion, became a parish church after 1789, before being decommissioned in 1935. The glazed nave, rebuilt in 1836, and the paintings of the choir (17th century) bear witness to its many transformations. After serving as a warehouse, it was restored in the 1980s to become a municipal exhibition hall.

Classified as a Historical Monument in 1975 for its murals and hybrid architecture (Romanesque, Gothic and neo-classical), the church illustrates the religious and artistic evolution of the Dordogne. Its square bell tower, topped by a four-paned arrow, and its cul-de-four vaults painted in false perspective make it a remarkable example of local heritage. The staircase screw integrated into a north-west pile allows access to the bell tower, symbol of its adaptation to liturgical and community needs throughout the centuries.

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