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Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Beauchalot, located in the bastide of the same name in Haute-Garonne, has its origins in the 14th century, shortly after the founding of the city. Its flat bedside, pierced by a triple bay, and its vaulted chorus dogives resting on capitals carved with foliage and grimaçant heads testify to its Gothic style. An accedade niche near the high altar and medieval masonries visible in the present sacristy confirm this dating. The nave, on a rectangular plane, has walls in rubble drowned in mortar, partially taken over in the 19th century, while elements of medieval bays were re-used.

The square tower, serving both as vaulted porch and defensive system, illustrates the dual religious and military role of the building. Its archeries in the upper part and the pockets of beams inside attest to its cutting function, while its masonry in cut stone, of remarkable quality, reinforces this hypothesis. A three-rocked coat of arms adorns the lintel of the corbelled door, and leafy or sculpted caps of faces (including a possible bishop) support the vaults of the side chapels. The latter, the only vaulted parts with the choir, house a decoration in the 19th century stencil (monograms of the Virgin, initials S and J).

The history of the church is marked by destruction and reconstruction, especially after a fire in 1459 mentioned in the archives. In the 19th century, the building, in a state of advanced decay (drilled roof, vermolu ceiling, pebbly floor of the Garonne), was the subject of major works between 1836 and 1856 under the direction of architect Estupuy. The interior decoration is then entrusted to the painter Pédoya, and medieval elements (culots, bays) are re-used in the new masonries. The square tower and its patio are inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1950, thus preserving this defensive and religious vestige.

The sources evoke a Benedictine priory from the 10th century near the present site, although this hypothesis, attributed to Vincent Ferras (1928–2020), remains unconfirmed. A fragment of cornice with denticles visible in the wall of the cemetery and notes of Romanesque cloister in the municipal archives suggest an older religious occupation, but these isolated elements, of uncertain origin, do not allow precise dates of the origins of the church. The first definite written mention dates back to a sill of 1387, confirming its existence in the 14th century.

In the 20th century, a bustling of the nave reveals the pebbles of the interior masonries, while the lateral chapels retain their stenciled decor. The adjacent cemetery, surrounded by carved stone crosses (including a date of 1780), and the remains of ramparts against the north elevation underline the central role of the church in the community and defensive life of the bastide. Today, the building thus blends medieval traces (cheek, lower part of elevations) with modern additions, reflecting its evolution over the centuries.

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