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Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame de Degagnazes, originally dedicated to Notre-Dame-de-la-Compassion, was built as a Prioral Church for the Order of Grandmont. In 1235, Aymeric de Gourdon, lord of Peyrilles, and his wife Amagne gave land to Degagnazes to this religious order, with the avalanche of the bishop of Cahors, Pons d'Antejac. The Grandmontan monks settled there in 1237, transforming a marshy site into arable land. The church, Romanesque style, dates from the late 11th or early 12th century, while its bell, founded around 1260, is one of the oldest in France. The priory reached its peak with six religious in 1295, before being attached to the priory of Francour in 1317 by Pope John XXII.

In 1679, the partial collapse of the nave vault marked the decline of the priory, whose convent buildings were partially destroyed. In the 18th century, the church was put out to house statues and received a pictorial decoration in the choir, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, in thanks to local miracles. It became parish in the 19th century and underwent major restorations: the reconstruction of the vault, the addition of a new façade and a bell tower to the west, while the eastern wing of the convent buildings was converted into a private dwelling in 1842.

The building, characterized by a semicircular apse arched in cul-de-four and a west gate adorned with carved capitals, preserves remains of medieval walls. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1926, the church bears witness to the influence of the order of Grandmont in Occitania and the architectural evolution of a monastic site which became a place of parish worship. Its history also reflects the social and religious transformations of the region, from 13th century seigneurial donations to modern restorations.

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