Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint Eutrope church of Couthures, located in Reunion (Lot-et-Garonne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine), is a Romanesque monument whose first traces date back to 1164. On that date, it was attributed to the Priory of Saint Vincent de Calezun, before being given, in the second half of the 12th century, to the Abbey of Sauve. Its architecture is characterized by a rectangular nave with stone walls reinforced by stone chains, and a narrower choir separated from the cul-de-four abside by a doubleau adorned with carved capitals (theme of the old to the south).

In the 14th century, the church was fortified in the context of the Hundred Years War and the wars of religion. A one-storey defensive porch, pawed across the arches and equipped with fire systems, was added to the west, protecting the entrance door. The bell tower, dominating the façade, and the wall of the cemetery – once higher and equipped with murderers – also date from this period. These developments reflect the protection needs of places of worship during medieval conflicts.

Later additions include a northern sacristy built between the 17th and 18th centuries. The church also preserves a fountain, the object of a traditional pilgrimage for its waters known to cure diseases of the skin and eyes. The building, inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1996 (with its adjoining cemetery), illustrates a superposition of epochs, mixing religious, defensive and popular functions.

External links