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Origin and history

Notre-Dame de Massugas Church, located in the Gironde department in New Aquitaine, is a Catholic religious building dating back to the 11th century, with major architectural elements added in the 12th century. Built in small apparatus, it uses stones from a Gallo-Roman villa and consists of a glazed Romanesque nave, a choir, and a bedside in large apparatus. The latter is adorned with a row of sixteen figurative modillons, six of which remain today, representing scenes related to capital sins such as drunkenness, lavarice or lust. Three Romanesque windows and a Gothic bay illuminate the building, while 12th century foothills, reinforced in the 15th century, support the structure.

The 12th century western portal, now devoid of its columns, once supported historic capitals and a modillon cornice illustrating the seven capital sins. These sculptures, considered "obscene" in the 19th century, were deliberately destroyed between 1847 and 1873, as illustrated by the descriptions of the Historic Monuments Commission. The church also suffered damage during the Wars of Religion (16th century). In the 17th century, a flamboyant Gothic side was added, illuminated by three archvolt windows. Protected since 1925 as historical monuments, it embodies a Romanesque heritage marked by transformations and controversies.

The building is located in the heart of the village of Massugas, along the departmental road D128, in the natural region of the Entre-deux-Mers. Its architecture thus combines Romanesque and Gothic influences, while its iconography, partially lost, reflects medieval mentality and modern destruction. The property of the commune remains a testimony of religious and artistic practices between the Middle Ages and the contemporary era.

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