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Origin and history

Sainte-Marie d'Amans Church, located in Layrac in Lot-et-Garonne, has its origins in the Middle Ages. A charter of 1062 attests to his donation by Hunald, Viscount du Brulhois, to the monasteries of Cluny and Moissac. The Romanesque apse, with flat bedside and vaulted in a broken cradle, as well as the bell tower-wall, date from this period. The carved capitals ( eagles, leaves, lions) and the double arch separating the choir from the nave bear witness to its medieval heritage.

In the 16th century, the church, then called Notre-Dame d'Amans, saw the addition of a moulure entrance gate, planned for a flamboyant decor never realized. The nave, rebuilt in the 19th century, receives a hollow brick vault, while the bell tower-wall is partially obstructed by the roof. In 1954, the choir, the nave and the bell tower were listed as historical monuments, but the building, left to be abandoned, suffered the collapse of its structure in 1962.

The architecture of the church thus combines Romanesque elements (abside, capitals), an aborted attempt in flamboyant style (portal), and modifications of the 19th century (brick vault). Its history reflects the hazards of preserving rural heritage, between medieval donations, late transformations and modern decline. The city council, faced with its degradation, even sold some items such as the portal in the 1960s.

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