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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Michel de Montaut-les-Creneaux, located in the Gers in Occitanie, is a Romanesque building of the 12th and 13th centuries, marked by a three-nave and apse basilical architecture. It was founded as a clunisian priory in the 11th century by Guillaume de Montaut, archbishop of Auch and former monk of Cluny, who donated it to the abbey in 1069. The bedside, the drip walls and the west façade date from the second half of the 12th century, while the vaults of the three ships were added in the 13th century.

The church is intimately linked to the adjacent castle, of which it shared accesses today disappeared. Its attic, large and accessible by turret staircases, could have served as a temporary refuge for villagers, although this function may not have been initial. The exterior decoration of the bedside, sober and devoid of ornaments, illustrates a primitive novel rare in Central Gascony. The south gate, with its arches in the middle, reflects this architectural simplicity.

Ranked a historic monument in 1995, the church underwent repairs in the 17th and 19th centuries, including the construction of the bell tower (1868-1875) by architect Francou. The priory, dependent on Saint-Orens d'Auch and Cluny, grouped several medieval parishes. Today, the building retains referenced furniture elements (baptismal sites of the 16th-17th centuries, stalls, paintings) and bears witness to the clunisian influence in the southwest.

The restoration campaigns of the 1870s-1880s added a porch and a porch, complementing its present appearance. The regular stone apparatus and the homogeneous structure of the walls suggest a methodical construction, while the apsidioles, including one decorated with balls, reveal discreet decorative variations. The church, a communal property, remains a remarkable example of the Romanesque heritage, mixing religious, defensive and community functions.

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