Installation of the retable 1693 (≈ 1693)
Ordered by parish priest Jean Jouffreau.
1725
Table completion
Table completion 1725 (≈ 1725)
Directed by the Tourned workshop.
4e quart du XVIIe siècle
Reconstruction of the church
Reconstruction of the church 4e quart du XVIIe siècle (≈ 1787)
Reuse of materials from an earlier church.
1910
Classification of the table
Classification of the table 1910 (≈ 1910)
As a historical monument object.
15 novembre 1993
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 15 novembre 1993 (≈ 1993)
Protection of the building and its furniture.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Church (Case C 241): registration by decree of 15 November 1993
Key figures
Jean Jouffreau - Curé de Sérignac
Commander of the altarpiece in 1693.
Famille Tournié - Craft sculptors
Suspected authors of the baroque altarpiece.
Origin and history
The church Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Sérignac, located in the Lot department in Occitanie, was rebuilt in the 4th quarter of the 17th century by reusing materials from an earlier church. The remains of the latter are still visible in the abside and the south side of the current building. The church, baroque style, is distinguished by its southern gate decorated with ionic pilasters and triangular pediment, as well as its bell tower-wall incorporating baptismal fonts decorated with false marble bosses.
Inside is a unique nave with three spans, flanked by side chapels, and a monumental altarpiece dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, classified in 1910. Ordered by the parish priest Jean Jouffreau and attributed to the workshop of the Tournié de Gourdon family, this altarpiece was installed in 1693 but completed only in 1725. The church also preserves a classified bentier, testifying to its rich liturgical furniture.
The building, listed as a historical monument on November 15, 1993, adjoins the local castle and dominates the valley of Saint-Matré Creek. Several objects of its furniture are referenced in the Palissy base, highlighting its heritage importance. Its architecture combines medieval heritage (vestiges of limestone masonries) and Baroque influences, typical of the religious reconstructions of the period.
The entrance door, surrounded by ionic pilasters, opens onto an adjoining cemetery. The nave, vaulted on a dogive cross, is barred by a transept with crumbs covered with arches. These architectural features reflect the stylistic evolutions of Quercy at the end of the 17th century, between local tradition and Baroque innovations.
The church of Saint John the Baptist illustrates the central role of religious buildings in the rural villages of Occitanie, serving as both a place of worship, a community gathering and an identity marker. Its reconstruction in the 17th century is part of a post-Tridentine Catholic renewal, where the beautification of churches met both spiritual and social challenges.
