The parish church Saint-Michel de Lavardens, dedicated to the Archangel, rises southwest of the village castle. Its architecture combines a unique nave with two spans, a flat bedside, and two side chapels. The southern chapel, the only stone vault, contrasts with the false plaster vaults of the nave and choir. The flamboyant Gothic portal, adorned with a Saint Michael and a recent mosaic on the tympanum, opens under a six-level bell tower. The latter, made of cut stone up to the fourth floor, has geminied berries and a slightly twisted polygonal arrow, topped by a cast iron cross. The baptismal fonts, nestled in a Mosaïque alcove, and a decorated bentier complete this set.
The origins of the church probably date back to the 12th century, when Lavardens Castle was attested. Rupest graves discovered in the vicinity suggest an earlier religious occupation. The present building, rebuilt at the hinge of the 15th and 16th centuries, retains elements of this period: the bell tower, the gate, the southern chapel dedicated to the Virgin, and a stained glass window of the choir with unidentified coat of arms. A bell dated 1502 or 1504 bears witness to that time. The graves exhumed after the foundations confirm this medieval dating.
In the 17th century, Antoine de Roquelaure began work on the church and its nearby castle. The extension of the bell tower, perhaps realized then, and the vessel of baptismal fonts could date from this period or from the sixteenth century. In the 19th century, major changes took place: enlargement of the choir towards the east, expansion of the nave, addition of sacristies, and cover of false vaults. The dominant neogothic furniture incorporates some ancient elements in the glass windows. In the 1950s, a Dutch priest decorated the tympanum, the baptismal fonts and the benigner with mosaics. Ranked in 1960, the bell tower was restored in the early 2000s.
Announcements
Please log in to post a review