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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Saux, originally dedicated to Saint Andrew, was built in the 13th century, but only its semicircular apse remains after the fire of the Hundred Years War. The reconstruction began between the late 15th and 16th centuries, following a single nave plan of three spans. The first and third spans are arched with ground dogives, while the second, possibly reworked in the seventeenth century, presents lierne and third-line warheads. The gate, integrated into a tower built on the first span, and the windows of the stair turret date back to this period of reconstruction.

In the 17th century, the family of Gozon, lords of Ays, financed the addition of two side chapels (voûtes d'arêtes) and niches housing the confessional and the Baptistery. The vault key of the northern chapel is dated 1679, and an arc of the second span is 1683, suggesting late modifications. These arrangements reflect the influence of local sponsors and the evolution of liturgical needs.

The building, owned by the municipality of Saux (Lot), was listed as a historical monument on 22 June 1972. Its bell tower, backed by a nave and flanked by an independent staircase turret, illustrates the successive architectural adaptations. The sources also mention an apse of the thirteenth century, the only vestige of the original construction, and side chapels characteristic of post-medieval religious art in Quercy.

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