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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens de Gluges, located in the hamlet of Gluges on the commune of Martel (Lot, Occitanie), is a 12th and 15th century Romanesque building, built in front of a rock shelter. His history was marked by property disputes, especially in 1469, when Antoine Lascoux, lord of Mirandol, made a false claim to the church, claiming that it had been founded by Gaillard de Mirandol upon the return of the Holy Land. These claims, contested by the bishop of Cahors and the Viscounts of Turenne, gave rise to trials until the 18th century. The church, located on a commercial and pilgrimage road to Rocamadour, was enlarged by a northern chapel between the late 12th and 15th centuries.

The construction of the present church, dated from the second half of the 12th century by its carved modillons, reveals interruptions and architectural anomalies. Two 11th century interlacing capitals, used in the nave, suggest the existence of an earlier building. The northern chapel, later added, was enlarged by a vaulted span of dogives between the 13th and 15th centuries. The church, sold as a national property in Year IV (1796) and purchased by the municipality in Year XII (1804), was deemed too small and in poor condition in 1841. A new church was built between 1854 and 1859, while the old church, partially transformed into an annex to the presbytery in 1861, was abandoned in 1928 before being bought by the municipality in 2000.

Ranked a historical monument in 1913, the church is distinguished by its 14 12th century Romanesque modillons, comparable to those of the large tympanes of Quercy as that of Carennac. Its painted decoration, including funerary liters from the 15th to 15th centuries, bears witness to its importance for local lords, including the Lasteyrie families of the Saillant and Maynard-Lestrade. The 2007 excavations by archaeologist Valérie Rousset confirmed its dating and revealed traces of red ochre pigments (XII century) and Gothic decorations. Abandoned in the 19th century, it benefited from backup work in 2008, while its altarpiece, vandalized in the 20th century, was restored thanks to a restored archival photograph.

The local association has worked to replace the sheet covering of the choir with traditional tiles, highlighting the efforts to preserve this modest but emblematic heritage. Its unique location, under a cliff, and its small size suggest that it was originally an oratory or cemetery chapel, linked to the pilgrims' road to Rocamadour. The conflicts surrounding its relics and seigneurial rights illustrate its role in medieval and modern local dynamics.

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