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Origin and history

The Church of Saint Martin of Arx, located in the village of the same name in New Aquitaine, is a building whose origins probably date back to the late 12th or early 13th century. The oldest parts, however, such as the central ship and the flat bedside, date back to the 14th century. The church was initially fortified, with a high room accessible by a blind turret, and a bell tower wall to the west. Its architecture combines late Romanesque and Gothic elements, as evidenced by carved columns and capitals.

In the 16th century, the church, which became too small, was enlarged by the addition of two collaterals in 1522, one of which bears an engraved date on a capital. A round tower was built in 1546-1547 to strengthen the bell tower wall, which was considered insufficiently solid. The Wars of Religion partially damaged the vault, whose vault collapsed, and the bell tower sprocket was later redone. Changes in the following centuries, such as replacing the nave stone cradle with a plaster ceiling, or widening the bedside windows, remain minor.

The Gothic portal in broken arch, decorated with columns, gives access to a nave of two spans once vaulted in cradle. The collaterals, vaulted with dogive crosses, rest on mid-pillars and carved caps, studied in the Palissy base. The rectangular choir, slightly narrower than the nave, is illuminated by two large windows to the east and supported by a square sacristy to the south. The regular cutting stone apparatus, typical of the old parts, contrasts with the limestone rubble of the posterior additions, such as the collaterals or the bell tower.

The church has been listed in the Historical Monuments since 1990 for its architectural and historical interest, illustrating the stylistic and defensive evolutions of religious buildings in Aquitaine between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Its porch, originally surmounted by a strong room, and its bell tower-wall reflect a period when churches also served as refuges. The engraved dates (1647, 1651, 1707) on the coating of the north wall suggest repairs after the Wars of Religion, marking its turbulent history.

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