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Origin and history

The Abbey of St Peter of Marcilhac-sur-Célé, located in the Lot in Occitanie, finds its origins in the seventh century with a mention in the will of St Didier, bishop of Cahors. A Benedictine cella was established there in the 9th century by monks fleeing the Normans, under the protection of King Pépin of Aquitaine. The abbey became independent in the 10th century and benefited from donations from local nobles such as Adhémar des Échelles and Raymond II de Rouergue.

The excavations of the years 1968-1969 reveal a Romanesque bedside of the eleventh century, similar to that of Conques, while the capitals and the south gate date from the twelfth. The abbey, powerful, has more than one hundred fiefs, including the church of Rocamadour, lost in 1193 after a long trial. The Hundred Years' War (14th century) the ruin: in 1389, the places were devastated and deserted. The Hebards of Saint Sulpice rose in the 15th to 16th centuries, partially rebuilding the church in Gothic style.

The wars of Religion aggravate the damage: the church and cloister were burned in the 16th century. Despite repairs in the 17th century, the abbey was secularized in 1750 and sold as a national property during the Revolution. Ranked a historic monument in 1906, it experienced a revival in the 20th century with restorations (table in 2010) and innovative sponsorship campaigns, such as the call for donations for an organ in 2015.

The architecture combines an open-air Romanesque nave, historic capitals (XIIe), and a Gothic part (XVe) with pentagonal bedside and frescoes. The fortified bell tower (XIVe), the crenellated walls, and a half-timbered house where Henry IV would have stayed (1580) complete the whole. The ruins of the cloister and the medieval enclosure, pierced by a 13th-14th century gate, testify to its defensive past.

Today, the abbey remains a parish place of worship and an active heritage site. The Occitanie region has allocated EUR 3-4 million for its restoration, supervised by the Historical Monuments. Original initiatives, such as the abbé's parachute in 2015 to raise funds, illustrate his contemporary dynamism.

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