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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint John Baptist Church of Saint Popont, built in the 12th and 15th centuries, is an architectural testimony of the medieval and Renaissance periods. It presents a nave followed by a square span of transept and a choir finished by a flat apse. The first span was recast in the 14th century, while defensive changes (thickening of the walls, defence chamber, stair turret) were made during the Hundred Years' Wars, reflecting the tensions of the time.

In the 16th century, the building was the scene of religious confrontations: in 1589 it was occupied by the Religious (protestants), then besieged and taken over by the captains of Giversac and Mompezat, who installed a garrison there. These events illustrate the violence of the religious wars that torn the region apart. The church also houses a seigneurial chapel, adjacent to the bell tower, as well as two lateral chapels with absidioles, added later.

Restorations in the 19th and 20th centuries allowed the preservation of this heritage, classified as Historical Monument by decree of 1 July 1991. The traces of the defensive changes (round turret, bedside enhancement) and the Gothic elements (voûts, apsidioles) make it a hybrid building, marked by its turbulent history. The accuracy of its location is considered very satisfactory (note 8/10), and the monument remains the property of the municipality of Saint-Popont.

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