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Origin and history

The church of Saint James the Majeur of Salviac, located in the Lot in Occitanie, replaces a first church of the 12th century dedicated to Saint Bruno. Probably built in the second quarter of the 13th century by William of Gourdon or the local archpriest, it adopted a French Gothic style, perhaps linked to Gourdon's allegiance to King Louis IX in 1243. His term, Saint James the Major, aims to make it a stop on a secondary path of the pilgrimage of Compostela, explaining its scope for a modest community. A hospital was certified there in 1387, absent in 1337, suggesting an influx of pilgrims.

The construction seems to be completed around 1250, as indicated by the larmies decorated with the southwest chapel. The north chapel, with its fire, and the west gate share a coherent style. In the 14th century, the southeast chapel included sculptures, including a keystone of the vault representing Saint Catherine, dated the third quarter of this century. The church, spared during the Hundred Years' War, became in the 14th and 15th centuries a place of pilgrimage dedicated to Saint Eutrope, whose southwest chapel preserved traces.

In the 16th century, modifications were made, and the stained-glass windows commissioned by the Durforts (teachers since 1438) illustrated Renaissance art, with warm colours and architectural patterns similar to those of Arnaud de Moles. These windows, partially vandalized during the Revolution when the church became a temple of Reason, were dismantled in 1870 and then restored. Ranked in 1913, the church underwent major works in the 20th century: the wooden frame was replaced by reinforced concrete (1961-1962), and a restoration campaign (1990-2007) restored its heritage.

The building, with a single nave of three spans and a false transept, is distinguished by a polygonal apse covered with a nerve dome. Three gates originally existed, two of which (north and south) were condemned after the addition of the sacristy (19th century) and side chapels. These houses baroque altars, such as that of the northern chapel, attributed to the workshop of the Tournié (early 18th century). Furniture, including retables and windows, has been protected as historical monuments since 1908 and 1975.

The seigneury of Salviac, originally owned by Guillaume de Gourdon (allied to Louis IX), passed into the hands of the Balènes in 1310, then of the Jeans in 1337 – family linked to Cardinal Gaucelme de Jean. Although not constructors, the latter made changes before the estate was transferred to the Cazeton (before 1387), then to the Durfort until the Revolution. The church, a communal property since then, today embodies a major religious and artistic heritage of Quercy, marked by its role in medieval pilgrimages and its architectural richness.

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