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Origin and history

The Collège Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption du Vigan, located in the Lot en Occitanie department, replaces a former church of Saint-Gall. Its history dates back at least to the ninth century, with the mention of a monastery dedicated to the Virgin sheltering the relics of Saint Charity. This monastery, reformed into a convent of regular canons in 1077 by Bishop Géraud de Gourdon, was entrusted to the canons of Saint-Sernin of Toulouse, driven from their basilica. Pope Pascal II confirmed this status in 1107, and the convent was enriched with possessions throughout the 12th century.

The present church was rebuilt in several phases, from the 11th century, with capitals dated around 1100. The gothic bedside dates back to the years 1250-1270, while the western facade, inspired by that of Cahors Cathedral, is from the early 14th century. The building was designed from east to west, with staggered apses, a 6-degree unaxed nave, and a reinforced first span, possibly planned to support a tower. In 1290, Archbishop Simon de Beaulieu ordered measures to complete his construction in the face of financial difficulties.

In the 14th century, under Bishop Raymond de Pauchel, the college became a prosperous abbey, before declining during the Hundred Years War. Destroyed in 1562 during the Wars of Religion, she lost her relics and her abbey status. Abolished in 1793, it became a parish church after the sale of its convent buildings as national property. Ranked as a historical monument in 1893, it now bears witness to the Querkyn Gothic architecture and the religious history of the Lot.

The 1953 excavations revealed Romanesque capitals, confirming the construction phases. The church, initially under the protection of the Archbishop of Bourges, was a place of pilgrimage for the relics of Saint Sophie and her daughters (Faith, Hope, Charity). Its decline accelerated after the destruction of the sixteenth century, but its ranking in the nineteenth century strengthened its preservation.

Episcopal visits, such as those of Simon de Beaulieu in 1285 and 1290, document his architectural and institutional evolution. The disconnection of the nave and the structural changes reflect successive adaptations, while the facade, dated from the years 1330-1340 (or earlier), illustrates the influence of Cahors Cathedral. The abbey, at its peak in the early 14th century, owned up to 17 churches in the diocese.

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