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Origin and history

The church of Saint Martin in Lunan, located in the Lot in Occitanie, finds its origins in a monastic tradition dating back to the early Middle Ages. According to controversial sources, a monastery was founded around 510 by Clovis in the Convallis Lunanis, identified by some as Lunan. This monastery, initially under the rule of Saint Martin de Tours, was reportedly transferred to the 8th century in the valley of Cele, then adopting the Benedictine rule. The foundation is also attributed to Pépin I of Aquitaine in 838, who would have given it to the abbey of Conques. These elements remain debated, notably by Baron Chaudruc de Crazannes, who rejects the identification of Lunan with the Convallis Lunatis.

The Romanesque parts of the present church, dated from the second half of the 12th century, include a polygonal apse, a right span of the choir and fragments of nave with engaged columns. The modillons recall those of Cahors Cathedral, suggesting a regional artistic influence. The bell tower-porch, added to the west in the 15th century, marks a transition to the gothic, while the arches of warheads of the nave and the lower side reveal later phases of construction. This development is illustrated by an armorial vault key of the Laroque-Toirac (XIVth century) and another with the initials G G (linked to the rectors Géraud or Guisbert Gailhardie, 16th century).

Ranked as a historical monument in 1973, the church preserves traces of its monastic past, like the six foothills girding the Romanesque apse, pierced with windows in the middle of the hangar. Inside, the carved capitals and the cul-de-four vault testify to its medieval heritage. Two lateral buildings, later added, house a sacristy and a Baptistery, reflecting liturgical adaptations over the centuries.

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