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Origin and history

Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Gréalou Church, located in the Lot department in Occitanie, is a religious building dating back to the 12th century. It was built in a village crossed by Via Podiensis, a major route from the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, and once depended on the fief of the Barasc de Béduer. The oldest parts, such as the apse, the crossover of the transept and the first span of the nave, bear witness to this Romanesque period, with carved limestone bellows and simple capitals.

After the Hundred Years' War, the apse was restored according to its original plan, while the left arm of the transept was rebuilt in the late 15th century. Later, the bell tower, sacristy and right arm of the transept were added. In the seventeenth century, a bentier dated 1684 suggested a phase of work. The 19th century marked a major transformation: the nave was elongated, the south arm of the reconstructed transept was identical to the north arm, and a neoclassical iconographic program was introduced, including a copy of a Murillo painting in the abside.

The building adopts a Latin cross plan, with a semi-circular choir arched in cul-de-four, a two-span nave and side vaulted vaulted chapels. The quadrangular bell tower, erected on the cross of the transept, presents walls with wooden panels lined with stones and bricks. Ranked a historic monument in 1959, the church also preserves referenced objects, such as candlesticks or chalice, illustrating its rich liturgical heritage.

The village of Gréalou, linked to this church, is part of a territory marked by the compostellan pilgrimage and a feudal history. The Barasc de Béduer, local lords, probably played a role in its initial development. Subsequent changes reflect stylistic developments and cultural needs, from late Gothic to neoclassical additions, while preserving remarkable Romanesque elements.

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