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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Saint John church of Saint-Jean-du-Bouzet, located in the eponymous village of Occitanie, is a building mainly built in the Romanesque period, around the second half of the 12th century. Its architecture is distinguished by a semicircular apse preceded by a span adorned with four engaged columns. The capitals, richly carved, represent various motifs: leaves, chimeras, birds faced and owl. The nave, composed of two spans, is separated by a pillar with multiple bursts, forming dorets characteristic of southern Romanesque art.

Subsequent changes marked its history: the nave was changed in the 14th or 15th centuries, while the door and the bell tower were completely redone in 1861, reflecting later stylistic adaptations. Ranked among the Historical Monuments since 1979 (inscription by decree of 5 April), the church now belongs to the commune. Its state of conservation and its ornamentation make it a valuable testimony of medieval religious art in Quercy, integrated into the heritage landscape of the former Midi-Pyrénées region.

The location of the building, in the department of Tarn-et-Garonne (Occitanie region), is part of a territory marked by a dense religious and architectural history. The Romanesque churches in this area, often small in size but rich in sculptural details, played a central role in community life: place of worship, assembly, and sometimes refuge. Their construction reflected both local know-how and the influences of the great medieval artistic currents, as evidenced by the motives of the capitals of Saint-Jean-du-Buzet.

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