Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Étienne de Lauzun, originally dedicated to Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, preserves from its Romanesque origin a late 13th-century portal, adorned with seven broken arches and two capital columns. This portal, modified in the 16th century, was enriched by a statue of the crowned Virgin. The building underwent major renovations in the 15th and 16th centuries, then partial reconstruction under the Second Empire (1866-1871), including the elevation of the vaults.

The present furniture comes in part from the former convent of the Recollets, founded in 1623 by Gabriel-Nompar de Caumont and destroyed during the Revolution. The high altar and its altarpiece, dating from 1623, represent biblical scenes such as the Adoration of the Magi, while the pulpit, attributed to the Tourned workshops, has carved panels. A 13th-century black Virgin, Nostro Damo de la Molo, an object of pilgrimage on the road to Compostela, is venerated.

The church, classified as a historical monument in 2012, illustrates the architectural and religious evolution of Lauzun, from its medieval origins to the transformations of the 19th century. Its bell tower-wall and polygonal bedside frame a nave flanked by lowsides, testifying to successive work campaigns. The residual Romanesque elements, such as the columns of the first span, recall its millennium history.

Among the outstanding liturgical objects are a reliquary of the True Cross (17th century) with the arms of Caumont, and a 13th century Virgin with the Child, formerly adorning the portal. These pieces, together with the local archives (Poullé d'Agen, 1789), underline the central role of the church in the spiritual and seigneurial life of Lauzun.

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