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Origin and history

The church Saint-Barthélemy de Cahors, located in the Lot department in Occitanie, is a religious building whose origins date back to the 7th century, mentioned in the will of St Didier. Originally called St Stephen, it gradually adopted that of St Bartholomew from the fourteenth century. A section of the 12th century wall remains as the oldest vestige.

In 1320, the church, in poor condition, benefited from a reconstruction impulsed by Pope John XXII, who was baptized there. In 1321 he authorized Jeanne de Frézapa to erect a chapel there, while Pierre Duèze (1324) and his son Arnaud (1332) founded chapelies there. Despite these contributions, the works extended until the 15th century for some vaults, and the expected choir will never be completed.

The building, classified as a historic monument in 1933, features a unique nave lined with chapels and a quadrangular brick and stone bell tower. Its oriental porch, with an architectural fire, precedes a Gothic portal with multiple windows. Inside, a 19th-century harmonium (maison Merry and Son's) and an organ buffet by John Abbey – often confused with Jean-Baptiste Stoltz – bear witness to his furniture heritage.

The church also preserves remarkable medieval elements, such as warhead vaults of the years 1320–40, blind trilobed archatures, and chapels founded by close relatives of the pope. Its history reflects the close links between Cahors, the papacy of Avignon, and southern religious architecture.

In 1644, the church was attached to the major seminary of Cahors, marking a new stage in its liturgical use. Today, it houses objects classified in the Palissy base, including reliquaries and paintings, and remains a major testimony of Southern Gothic in Quercy.

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