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Origin and history

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption of the Tourreilles came into being in the 13th century, when the Baron of Lassus offered his land to the Cistercians of Bonnefont. The latter built a chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de Bernat, in homage to Saint Bernard, founder of their order. Later converted into a parish church for the villages of Tourreilles (Hautes et Basses) and Cuguron, it continued until the 19th century, despite aborted reconstruction projects in 1836, rejected by the Conseil de Fabrique de Montréjeau. The ruins of this medieval church, located near Cuguron, are now buried under the vegetation.

The construction of the present church was launched in 1901 at the initiative of Abbé Monserié, who wanted to build a new place of worship in the district of the High Towers, accompanied by a presbytery and a convent. The first stone was laid on 7 July 1901 by Baron Bertrand de Lassus, descendant of the medieval donor. Inaugurated in 1904 by Bishop Germain, Archbishop of Toulouse, the church adopted the name of Our Lady of the Assumption, illustrated by her central window. Its interior, marked by marble altars (old and post-Vatican II) and chapels dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Sacred Heart, reflects the liturgical evolutions of the twentieth century.

The former Church of Our Lady of Bernat symbolized the historical link between the Cistercians of Bonnefont and the region, while the present building embodies local religious vitality at the turn of the 20th century. The site also preserves traces of Marian devotion, with statues of Notre-Dame de Lourdes and Saint Bernadette, highlighting the Pyrenean anchor of worship. The two altars (white marble and wood) and their decorations — lys, Marian monograms, or ciborium — bear witness to a preserved artistic heritage, despite the disappearance of medieval remains.

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