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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Barthélemy de Gueyze, located in the municipality of Sos en Lot-et-Garonne, is a religious building whose bedside dates back to the 12th century. Its grounded interior plan, rare for the time, suggests the reuse of an oratory of the Upper Middle Ages, as suggested by historian Georges Tholin. The apsidioles, arched in cul-de-four, are masked outside by a semicircular bedside, while ancient substructions discovered nearby evoke a Gallo-Roman occupation of the site. The Romanesque capitals of the triumphal arch, decorated with sculptures, as well as the modillons and foothills, date from the late 11th or early 12th century, illustrating local Romanesque art.

The nave, originally rebuilt and raised between the late 13th and 14th centuries, retains a trace of vault on its western wall. A high room, probably added at the end of the Middle Ages, overcomes the choir. The successive repairs are attested by an inscription of 1735 on the north wall and works in 1849 (carpent and cover), then in 1957 (attachment of the bell tower). The bell tower-wall, pierced by two campanary bays, could date from the 13th century, like the nearby castle. The building, which was listed as a historical monument in 2004, benefited from interior restorations in 2015.

A remarkable element lies in the lintel of the south gate, reused from a sarcophagus of the Upper Middle Ages, highlighting the continued occupation of the site. The church is part of the architectural type of single-nave churches with a threshed sanctuary, studied by Georges Tholin in his work on the Agenese. Its adjacent cemetery, included in the 2004 protection, strengthens its anchoring in the local funeral heritage. Modillons, leaf capitals, and outer decorative cords bear witness to regional Romanesque influences, while the nearby Gallo-Roman villa suggests an ancient origin of the place of worship.

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