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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Philippe-et-Saint-Jacques de Buanes was built in 1346, simultaneously with the foundation of the bastide by Edward III, king of England and Duke of Aquitaine, and Bernard II of Castelnau. This place of worship, integrated with the typical quadrangular plan of the bastids, ends with an apse in the hemicycle. Its bedside, probably rebuilt in the 16th century, bears witness to the architectural transformations that have taken place over the centuries. The building was looted during the Wars of Religion, reflecting the religious tensions of the time.

In the 17th century, the nave was divided into three spans by round columns and false marble pilasters, topped by Corinthian capitals. Diaphragm arches in the middle, resting on these columns, structure the interior space, creating caissons on the unceiling ceiling. A side chapel, covered with slates unlike the rest of the building covered with tiles, was added to the south facade. These changes illustrate the evolution of the liturgical and aesthetic needs of the community.

The bell tower-wall, characteristic of the rural churches of the South-West, has a truncated ridge and three shelter-clusters. Its stability was reinforced by two central foothills, shifting the portal under a broken arc northward. In 1984, the bell tower and interior decoration were included in the inventory of historic monuments, recognizing their heritage value. The church, owned by the commune, thus preserves the traces of eight centuries of local history, mixing medieval heritage and later adaptations.

The Buanes bastide, founded in the context of French-English rivalries during the Hundred Years' War, illustrates the urbanisation policy pursued by the Plantagenets in Aquitaine. The church, the spiritual and social heart of this new city, reflects this dual influence, between local architectural tradition and external stylistic contributions. Its design and decorative elements testify to this cultural synthesis, unique to the bastides of the South-West.

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