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Church of Saint Martin de Laroque-d'Olmes dans l'Ariège

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Eglise gothique
Ariège

Church of Saint Martin de Laroque-d'Olmes

    Rue de l'Église
    09600 Laroque-d'Olmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Église Saint-Martin de Laroque-dOlmes
Crédit photo : BLUMJ - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1300
1400
1500
1800
1900
2000
1163
Treaty of Laroque-d'Olmes
XIIIe siècle
Link to Saint-Sernin
fin XIIIe - début XIVe siècle
Age of gold drapier
XIVe siècle
Building construction
1885
Nave vault
17 décembre 2001
Registration MH
2004
Installation of the organ
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The Church, in full (Box B 628): inscription by decree of 17 December 2001

Key figures

Raymond V de Toulouse - Count of Toulouse (1148-1194) Signatory to the Treaty of 1163
Raymond Trencavel - Viscount of Carcassonne Co-signatory of the Treaty of 1163
Roger Bernard - Count of Foix Beneficiary of land of Olmes
Abbé de Saint-Sernin - Ecclesiastical Officer Cedes church to Raymond in 1238

Origin and history

The Church of Saint Martin of Laroque-d-Olmes, also known as the Church of the Blessed Sacrament or Our Lady of Mercadal, was built in the 14th century on the site of an ancient Romanesque church. This place marked in 1163 the signature of a temporary treaty between Raymond V of Toulouse and Raymond Trencavel, Viscount of Carcassonne, sealing territorial tensions between Counts of Foix, Toulouse, and Viscounts of Carcassonne. The church became a priory dependent on the Saint-Sernin Abbey of Toulouse in the 13th century, although absent from its cartular before 1200. Its economic importance grew with the local drapier boom in the late 13th century, before declining during the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion.

The southern Gothic construction is characterized by a unique nave flanked by side chapels, a choir illuminated by seven sling windows, and an octagonal bell tower with two floors of bays. The gate, adorned with three archvolts and plant capitals, is preceded by a vaulted porch with carved capes of angel heads. Inside, ten remarkable works are classified, including a statue of the Penitents, a mural painting of the Baptism of Christ, and baptismal fonts. The church, registered as a historical monument in 2001, also preserves murals in its Baptistery and a Gonzales organ installed in 2004, originally from the Royal Chapel of Versailles.

Church history reflects feudal and religious conflicts in the region. In the 16th century, it underwent architectural interventions, then major redevelopments in the 19th century, such as the vaulting of the nave in 1885, leading to its temporary decommissioning. Its bell tower, with gargoyles and jewels, as well as its old nailed carpentry, bear witness to its medieval heritage. The parish remained under the appointment of the chapter of Saint-Sernin until the Revolution, stressing its anchoring in the Toulouse ecclesiastical structures.

External links