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Origin and history

The Saint-Caprais church of Saint-Caprais-de-Lerm, located in Lot-et-Garonne (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), stands out for its hybrid architecture. His 12th century Romanesque choir includes a semicircular apse arched in cul-de-four and a square span covered with a dome on pendants. Four historic capitals adorn this part, representing religious scenes such as the Annunciation or martyrdom of Saint Caprais. The exterior walls of the nave, also of the twelfth, house a south Romanesque portal opening onto the old cemetery.

In the 16th century, the nave was deeply reshaped: a dogive vault in the 14th century, according to Georges Tholin, it was divided into four spans covered with atypical Gothic vaults, similar to English or Bordeaux models. Three side chapels were added around 1530 (two on the left, one on the right), including a vault in a broken cradle. A flamboyant Gothic gate then replaces the western entrance, preceded by a porch. The building, a communal property, was listed as historical monuments in 1926 for its choir.

The interior decorative elements reveal an iconographic richness: modillons carved on the cornice of the Romanesque portal, interlaces and partial Latin inscriptions (like ANgel CAPRASI). The nave, without foothills, rests on consoles supporting arches. Lateral chapels, added late, illustrate the stylistic evolution of the building, mixing Romanesque and flamboyant Gothic influences.

Historically, the church depended on the Chapter of the collegiate Saint-Caprais of Agen, mentioned in a transaction of 1235. After the canonical reform forbidding the individual possession of ecclesiastical property, the parish remains attached to the lie of the prior. Local sources (Tholin, Durengues) highlight its central role in the religious life of Gascony, as evidenced by the capitals with Marian or Hagiographic themes.

The building thus embodies almost five centuries of architectural and spiritual history, from Romanesque origins to Renaissance additions. Its flamboyant portal, regional Gothic vaults and carved decorations make it a remarkable example of the Aquitaine religious heritage, still open to visit today.

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