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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pastour de Queyssel, located at the place called Queyssel on the municipality of Lauzun (Lot-et-Garonne), has its origins at the end of the 11th century. Its construction was initiated in 1078 under the impulse of Guillaume de Montbrun, bishop of Périgueux, before being completed by the monks of the Abbey of La Sauve-Majeure, on which it depended. The Romanesque building, with a single nave extended by a large apse and a transept with absidioles, was enlarged in the 12th century. The present nave, with its characteristic bell tower-wall, dates from the 13th century to the earliest. Subsequent changes, particularly in the 17th century, altered the west gate, the top of the bell tower and the bays.

Inside, the church reveals a colonnade adorning the apse and painted decorations of different periods, especially in the northern chapel. A mystery surrounds the reversed cross carved on the altar, interpreted either as a symbol of satanic rites or as a representation of the martyrdom of Saint Peter. The building, listed as a historic monument in 2012, also includes the wall of its cemetery in its protection. A sacristy, visible on postcards of the early twentieth century, has now disappeared behind the southern absidiole.

Architecturally, the church illustrates the transition between Romanesque and Gothic styles, with a sober but elegant structure. The modillons, now eroded, were once in much better condition, as evidenced by the iconographic archives. The site, owned by the municipality of Lauzun, also preserves traces of its monastic past, linked to the influence of the mother abbey of La Sauve-Majeure, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its role in pilgrimage paths to Santiago de Compostela.

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