Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Sauveur, originally dedicated to Saint-Jean-Baptiste and then to the Transfiguration, was mentioned in 1289 by the notary Arnal de Salas. A first building, built at the end of the 13th century, was largely rebuilt in the 14th century, with a consecration in 1392 in an unfinished building. The side chapels, the west gate with double doors and the tower-clocher date from the late 15th or early 16th century, reflecting the evolution of the southern Gothic.

In the 17th century, minor modifications were made, such as a scald added to the northeast corner of the nave, perhaps to serve as a watchtower. A window would bear the date of 1680 and the name of Alagnou. The collapse of a vault in 1877 led to a major transformation by architect Émile Toulouse: the flat bedside was replaced by a polygonal apse, and the independent chapels were converted into continuous lowsides, altering the medieval plan.

The church, located outside the walls of the city on an elevation, was surrounded by the cemetery where remains a carved cross of the 15th century. Its bell tower and its twin portal, framed by pinnacles and surmounted by a broken arch, were classified as Historic Monument in 1912, followed by the inscription of the rest of the building in 1925. These elements illustrate the specificities of the Gothic churches of Quercy, marked by independent chapels between the foothills and arches of warheads.

The historical sources underline its central role in the medieval community of Puy-l'Évêque, then under the authority of chestnutland. The work of the 19th and 20th centuries, although changing its structure, preserved key elements such as the tower with diagonal foothills, typical of the late 15th century in the region. The archives also mention its connection to the diocese of Cahors, confirmed by the studies of Canon Edmond Albe and Jean Lartigaut.

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