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Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assumption of Villefranche-du-Périgord found its origins shortly after 1261, when the bastide was founded by Alphonse de Poitiers. A first church, destroyed during the Wars of Religion, was replaced in 1613 by a modest building, restored in 1776 by master mason Pierre Cabanes. Ruined in the 19th century, it was completely rebuilt according to the plans of diocesan architect Paul Abadie, known for the Sacred Heart of Montmartre.

The present church, consecrated in 1869, adopts a plan in Greek cross inscribed in a square, without apse because of the smallness of the terrain. Its facade is distinguished by a bell tower flanked by two quadrilateral towers, while the stained glass windows, made in 1902 by Gustave Pierre Dagrant, adorn the interior. The furniture includes a golden Virgin and a procession cross, testimonies of her religious heritage.

Historically linked to the Archpried of Capdrot since the creation of the diocese of Sarlat in 1317, the church embodies the successive reconstructions of a place of worship marked by conflicts and economic constraints. Local sources, such as the reports of the Société historique du Périgord, document its evolution, including a ordination ceremony in 1773, reflecting its central role in community life.

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