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Origin and history

Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativity de Lasvaux Church is a Catholic church in the Lot department, in the commune of Cazillac, in the Occitan region. Although the parish was mentioned as early as the 10th century in the cartular of Tulle, the present building did not go back until the second half of the 12th century. Its architecture, marked by a unique nave of four spans and a pentagonal bedside, reflects Romanesque and Gothic styles, with subsequent additions such as the southern chapel, built in 1872.

The church underwent several work campaigns, notably in 1623, a date engraved on the cornice of lsabside, indicating major restorations, including the possible elevation of the bell tower. Modillons and capitals, decorated with human or animal heads and plant motifs, bear witness to local Romanesque art. An 18th-century bentier, supported by a carved block of biblical scenes (Annunciation, Nativity, Escape in Egypt), as well as a capital head reused in baptismal fonts, enrich his historic furniture.

Classified as a Historical Monument on March 2, 1965, the church preserves traces of medieval paintings on the cul-de-four of the abside and in the nave. Its stained glass windows, restored in 2010, and its triple-window portal decorated with flowers illustrate its architectural evolution. The parish, attested as early as 1170 in the cartular of Obazine, emphasizes its historical anchoring in the religious and community life of Quercy.

Recent studies, such as those of Christophe Loiseleur des Longchamps, deepen the knowledge of his Baptistery, of his tabernacle linked to the Tournié sculptors, and of his original structure, initially perhaps vaulted. This research highlights its role in local history and its architecture characteristic of the medieval churches of the Lot.

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