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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Thomas de Hautefage-la-Tour, located in the Lot-et-Garonne department, is a Romanesque building built in the first half of the 12th century. It is distinguished by its bedside adorned with perforated metopes, typical of the basin of Lemance in the Agenes. This bedside was later enhanced, and the nave rebuilt into a regular apparatus, perhaps from the thirteenth century, as evidenced by a south gate today walled.

In the 17th century, notable changes were made: the western part of the nave, the bell tower-wall with triangular crown, and a bent porch were rebuilt. A segmentary arch window is pierced in the south wall in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. In 1867, a forum was added, and major repairs were undertaken in 1869 thanks to a public subscription.

The church is surrounded by its cemetery, bounded by a fence wall. Its apse, narrower than the nave, is vaulted by a cul-de-four and preceded by a triumphal arch in the middle of a pit. The sacristy, built in the 16th century, features rectangular chamfered windows and a curved vault. The building, owned by the commune, was listed for historical monuments on 27 September 1996, including the soil of the adjoining cemetery.

The site preserves traces of its turbulent history, especially after the wars of Religion. A presbytery (caminade) was mentioned in 1551 and rebuilt in 1833. The materials used, such as the regular medium apparatus or limestone bellows, reflect local techniques. The cover in hollow tiles and the bedside patterns highlight its Romanesque heritage.

Historical sources, such as the Pouillé de l'Abbé Durengues (1789), attest to its importance in the Diocese of Agen. Today, the church remains a major architectural testimony of the region, mixing Romanesque, Gothic and classical influences, while maintaining its central role in the community life of Hautefage-la-Tour.

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