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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church Saint-Front de Saint-Front-sur-Lémance, located in the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, is a former Benedictine priory dependent on Saint-Géraud d'Aurillac Abbey. Its initial construction, between the end of the 11th century and the beginning of the 12th century, is in the Romanesque style, with a trilobed bedside and lateral apsidioles. The building, richly decorated at the beginning, has undergone major transformations: the present unique nave, disconnected from the bedside, replaces a collateral nave rebuilt between the 15th and 16th centuries. A crenellated defence room, added in the 16th century above the bedside, bears witness to the adaptations related to the Wars of Religion.

Ranked a historical monument in 1914, the church preserves remarkable Romanesque elements such as the vaulted cul-de-four bedside and arches of the choir pierced windows in the 12th century. The successive restorations (roof in 1846, triumphal arch in 1893, west gable in 1899) preserved its structure, while the adjacent convent building, partially destroyed before 1827, now houses the town hall. The lauze initially covering the roof were replaced, and interior arrangements (sacristy in 1847) changed its liturgical use.

The church illustrates the architectural evolution of rural priories, moving from a place of Romanesque worship to a fortified building and then a communal heritage. Its bell tower, absidioles and crenellated terrace reflect the religious and defensive needs of the 11th to 12th centuries. The sources also mention works led by architects T. Teulère and Charles Bouillet, highlighting its local and regional heritage importance.

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