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Origin and history

The Sainte-Marie-et-Saint-Barthélémy Church, located in Bourg-des-Maisons, Dordogne (New Aquitaine), is a Catholic building dating back to the 12th century. It was cited in 1143 as a dependency of the Benedictine abbey of Sarlat, then given in 1169 to the abbey of Saint-Cybard of Angoulême by Jean d'Asside, bishop of Périgueux. At that time, it depended on the Priory of Circles and was named Ecclesia Sancta-Mariae de Maisos.

During the Hundred Years' War, a defence chamber was built above the vaults of the choir, partially transforming the building into a fortress. The bell tower, destroyed by lightning in 1897, was immediately rebuilt. The church preserves a single-nave rectangular plan, with two vaulted bays of domes on pendants, one of which was redone in the 19th century. The square choir, vaulted in a broken cradle, houses wall paintings from the 13th and 17th centuries, including a Saint Christophe and religious scenes.

Classified as a Historical Monument in 1913, the church illustrates the architectural and defensive evolution of religious buildings in Périgord. His frescoes, partially missing, bear witness to his rich artistic past. The western gate, redesigned, preserves traces of the old Romanesque portal, while carved heads adorn the facade. The building, owned by the municipality, remains a notable example of the medieval and modern heritage of the region.

Historical sources also mention its progressive connection to the Abbey of Saint-Cybard, confirmed by a charter of 1468 appointing Ecclesia S. Bartholomoei of Bourg de Maisons. The defence chamber, accessible by a stone staircase now partially filled, emphasizes its strategic role during conflicts. The paintings of the bedside and the north wall, dated from the 13th or 14th century, coincide with works of the 17th century such as the evangelists of the vault or a Saint Marguerite.

The church, described as a "real fortress" by the sources, thus combines religious, defensive and artistic functions. Its original bell tower, replaced after 1897, and its small buttresses give it a characteristic silhouette. The frescoes of the choir, including a representation of Saint Christophe carrying the Child (3.45 m wide), probably date from the early seventeenth century, when the sanctuary was embellished.

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