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Origin and history

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption of Belvès, originally called Our Lady of Montcuq, finds its origins in a Benedictine abbey founded in the 9th century under Louis the Pieux. Destroyed several times by the Viking raids (830, 848, 864), it was restored in 853 by Odon, disciple of Saint Benedict d'Aniane, before being transformed into a priory. The relics of Saint Justinian, offered by Abbon de Limoges, were preserved there. A papal bubble of 1153 transferred his rights to Sarlat Abbey, marking a turning point in his religious administration.

Between 1250 and 1270, under Louis IX, a Gothic reconstruction was undertaken, but the church was again destroyed during the crusade against the Albigois (1212). A second campaign of construction, in the 15th century (1460–90), gave birth to the present building, more modest than its predecessor. The wars of Religion (16th century) caused significant damage: the church was looted, transformed into a Protestant temple, and scene of massacres, as in 1577 when Catholics were exterminated there after their surrender.

Sold as national property in 1796, the church was restored to worship in 1801 thanks to a gift from Marie Pouzargue, widow of Jean Cossius. In the 19th century, major restorations took place: repair of the structure (1806–1807), installation of an 18th-century organ (1854), and works led by architects Lavoine (1877) and Lambert (1894). Mural paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries, rediscovered during modern restorations (2003–2017), today adorn the vaults and the abside.

Classified as a historic monument in 2000, the church houses an exceptional organ, restored by Gerhard Grenzig (1986) and Bertrand Cattiaux (2015). Its bell tower-porch, struck by lightning in 1971, and its biblical frescoes make it a jewel of Perigordin religious heritage. The last campaigns have preserved its interior decor, mixing woodwork, paintings and furniture from the lost convents of Belvès.

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