Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chapel Sainte-Catherine du Port, also known as the chapel of Marins Sainte-Catherine, is located in Auvillar, in the department of Tarn-et-Garonne. Its origin probably dates back to the Carolingian era, as evidenced by a 9th century chrism discovered above the portal. This monument was linked to the river port of Auvillar, where the ships sailing on the Garonne had to pay a toll known since the twelfth century.

The present chapel was rebuilt between 1305 and 1314 under the impulse of Clement V, pope from the region, whose brother Arnaud Garcie de Goth was Viscount d'Auvillar. Dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, patron saint of the marinaters, it replaced an earlier building mentioned in the Customs of Auvillar of 1265. Its interior decoration, today mostly from the eighteenth century, reveals traces of older paintings, probably from the fourteenth century.

The rectangular building is characterized by brick foothills and an ogival porch. It keeps burials embedded in arches in the middle of its southern wall. Disused, the chapel was listed as historical monuments in 1980. Its history reflects both the economic role of the port of Auvillar and the local religious influences, especially that of the Viscounts and Pope Clement V.

Historical conflicts, such as the war waged in 1204 by the consuls of Toulouse against the Viscount of Auvillar to suppress the toll, illustrate the strategic importance of this place. The interior decorations, although remodeled, offer a testimony to the artistic and cultural evolutions of the region, from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

External links