Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Castelfranc, located in the Lot department in Occitanie, was built shortly after the foundation of the bastide at the end of the thirteenth century by the bishop of Cahors. Located at the confluence of the Green and Lot, it was built at an angle of the central square. Its bell tower-wall, pierced by four campanary bays, was fortified in 1355 by the lords of the Junies and Pestilhac, acting on behalf of the king of England during the defence of the bastide. This bell tower, typical of Bastide founding churches, reflects its defensive role during the Hundred Years War.

The unique nave, vaulted with warheads, was largely rebuilt in 1879, as was the false transeven supporting the bell tower and the northern side chapel. This restoration also marked the addition of stained glass by Gustave Pierre Dagrant, artistically representative of the 19th century. The square apse, surmounted by a bell tower, and the western facade adorned with a gothic portal and a rose testify to the persistent medieval architectural influences.

Ranked a historic monument on November 20, 1920, the church retains defensive elements such as the bell tower crows, a vestige of a missing defence floor. Several liturgical objects are referenced in the Palissy base, highlighting its heritage importance. The western facade, protected by this classification, illustrates the transition between religious and military functions, characteristic of the Occitan bastids.

The portal capitals, decorated with human heads and floral motifs, as well as the polygonal chapel with radiant buttresses, reveal a rare ornamental richness for a church of this size. Historical sources, such as the works of Gilles Séraphin or the Stone Archives (2012), confirm its anchoring in the medieval history of Quercy, between episcopal influence and Anglo-French conflicts.

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