Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Catherine de Villeneuve-sur-Lot replaces a medieval building of the 13th–15th centuries. From 1850, Father Grenouilheau planned his reconstruction, acquiring the Hotel de Vassal and then exchanging it in 1857 for a municipal hall. The architect Gustave Alaux proposed a neo-Gothic project, but the work was delayed until the collapse of a vault in 1897. Georges Leygues, mayor and MP, then revived the project by entrusting the plans to Édouard Corroyer, architect of the Historical Monuments, who opted for a Romano-Byzantine style. Construction, begun in 1898 under the direction of Lucien Roy, progressed in stages: the choir was consecrated in 1911, despite financial interruptions and the First World War.

The construction site was completed around 1924 under Gaston Rapin, with the addition of a bell tower inspired by Saint-Sernin of Toulouse and a porch-narthex. The sacristies were completed in 1926. The church, consecrated in 1937, is distinguished by its industrial brick structure, domes, and carved capitals inspired by Moissac. Its interior decor, funded by Georges Leygues, includes paintings by Gabriel-Antoine Barlangue and Maurice Réalier-Dumas, as well as stained glass windows from the 15th to 16th centuries by Félix Gaudin. The organ, partially inherited from 1647, was restored several times, notably by Jules Magen in 1874.

Ranked a historic monument in 2022 (after an inscription in 2020), the church also received the 20th century heritage label in 2007. Its hybrid architecture, blending neo-Byzantine and regional influences, and its history linked to local elites (such as Leygues) make it a significant testimony of religious reconstruction in Aquitaine at the turn of the twentieth century.

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