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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame de Port-Sainte-Marie finds its origins in a foundation through the chapter of the collegiate Saint-Caprais d'Agen, probably in the 11th or 12th century. Placed under the protection of Pope Innocent III in 1213, it was rebuilt in the early 14th century in an ambitious Gothic style. The construction site, interrupted at the birth of the vaults of the nave, left an unfinished building, reflecting the disturbances of the Hundred Years War. Lateral chapels, including one dedicated to the Raymond de Lagarde family, were added in the 15th and 16th centuries, while the 16th century religious conflicts (Protestant occupation in 1561, damage in 1569-1570) marked the building for a long time.

In 1551, Vicar Jean Vallier ordered the completion of the pavement and bell tower, which was still discovered in 1594. After the Catholic reconquest, Bishop Nicolas de Villars reconquers the high altar that same year. A major restoration campaign, led in 1855 by the diocesan architect Georges Bourrières, radically transformed the building: the elevation of the walls, the vaulting of the nave and the choir, and the addition of a painted decoration inaugurated in 1868. Work continued in the 19th and 20th centuries, with repairs to the bell tower (1892, 1913-1914) and a complete restoration of the vaults and roof between 1993 and 1999 under the direction of François Corouge.

Ranked a historic monument in 1912, the church is distinguished by its regional architecture typical of the Hundred Years War: unique nave of 30 meters by 13, seven-paned choir, and brick vaults. His furniture, including stained glass windows by Joseph Villiet (1857), monumental paintings by Adolphe Brucker (1869), and a nineteenth-century pulpit, testify to restoration campaigns. The fraternity sticks (XXI pieces), classified in 1941, recall its central role in local religious life, between Protestant occupations, Catholic reconstructions and modern beautifications.

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