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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur des Milandes, located in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle in Dordogne, was originally built as the seigneurial chapel of the Château des Milandes at the end of the 15th century. Commanded by François de Caumont, Baron of Castelanu, it reflects Renaissance architecture with a unique nave, a polygonal apse and side chapels. His will of 1514 reveals his original funeral vocation, although his final burial took place elsewhere.

The chapel became a burial place for the Caumont family, as confirmed by the excavations of 2019 that exhumed 1,885 human remains, including those of Jean de Caumont and his son. Despite Caumont's adherence to Protestantism in the 16th century, the building was spared by the Wars of Religion. It served as a barn after the Revolution, before being restored in 1863 to become a parish church.

In 1947 Josephine Baker and Jo Bouillon married there, marking her modern history. Disused in the 1960s, the chapel was partially transformed into a museum dedicated to the artist in the 2000s. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1926, it has been the subject of restorations since 2018, notably revealing 16th century painted decorations.

The architectural study of 2018 highlighted its evolution: a high gallery once linked the castle to the nave, and a seigneurial gallery, dated before 1586, dominated space. Successive modifications (intermediate flooring in the 19th century, addition of agricultural buildings) were removed during recent restorations. Today, the chapel is reintegrated into the domain of the Château des Milandes.

The family vault of the Caumonts, filled in 1829 and then rediscovered, contained gold plaques engraved with their motto Fiat via vi. Among the graves identified are those of Jeanne de Pérusse des Cars (1500–1527), wife of Charles de Caumont, and Jacques Nompar de Caumont, Duke of La Force, whose remains were displaced. These archaeological discoveries confirmed his role as an aristocratic necropolis.

The chapel illustrates the religious and social transitions of the Périgord: first Catholic, it was associated with the Protestant Reformation with the Caumonts, before becoming a place of Catholic worship in the 19th century. Its history crossed with that of Josephine Baker, a world figure, makes it an emblematic monument, both local heritage and symbol of cultural blending.

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