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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Geny de Lectoure, located in the Gers, is the only vestige of an ancient Conventual ensemble founded in the 10th century. It probably succeeded a primitive church built on the eastern limit of the Gallo-Roman city of Lactora, to house the tomb of Saint Huginius (or Gény), hermit having lived on the nearby hill of St. Croix. The surrounding area, little urbanized, still bears its name.

In the 10th century, Guillaume Sanche, Duke of Gascony, founded the abbey of Saint-Geny, dependent on Saint-Sever, as part of the creation of the bishopric of Gascony. The monks, from Saint-Sever, settled around 994-995 under the episcopate of Bernard I. However, as early as 1066, the monastery, in ruins and marked by indiscipline, was reformed by Bishop Raymond Ebbons (1061-1097), who instituted Cluny's rule. The abbey, reduced to priory under the dependency of Moissac from 1059, declined between the 14th and 15th centuries.

A new church, built in the 16th century on the remains of the early chapel, survived the wars of Religion. After the disappearance of the Priorial community, it became a parish until 1842. Repurchase and transformation mark his history: in 1801, Abbé Deluc acquired the building, then in 1854, the Abbé de Cortade added a neoclassical facade and a residence attiré. After a period of abandonment, the chapel was restored in 2000 by the Serbian Orthodox community, which established a cult dedicated to Saint Gény and Saint Maurin, two martyrs of Lactora.

Architecturally, the basilica blends southern Gothic (a unique nave, pentagonal apse, buttress) and Renaissance (adorned key vaults, arches in full hanger). The interior houses a murated crypt containing a sarcophagus attributed to Saint Gény, decorated with strigilles and columns, although its restorations altered its original appearance. Today, its orthodox decor (iconostasis, icons) contrasts with its medieval and modern history.

The site, preserved in a natural setting, bears witness to the religious strata of Lectoure: from primitive Catholic worship to its present use, including monastic reforms and revolutionary upheavals. Its sarcophagus and hybrid architecture make it an emblematic monument of the gascon heritage.

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