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Origin and history

The Saint-Sulpice du Bugue church, located in the Dordogne department, is a neo-Gothic Catholic building built from 1869. It replaces the old church of Saint-Marcel, dependent on the Benedictine abbey of the Saint-Sauveur founded in the 10th century by Adelaide de Montignac. The abbey, destroyed and rebuilt several times, was looted in 1577 and fell into ruins before being partially restored in the seventeenth century. The relics were transferred to the new church in 1875, the day of Saint Sulpicus, and it was blessed the same year.

The Bugue, the capital of 100 in the 9th century, became an archpriest in the 10th century. The abbey, founded in the 10th century, experienced many upheavals: destruction by Guillaume de Gourdon in 1160, English occupation in the 15th century, and looting during the Wars of Religion. In 1677, Abbess Marie-Catherine de Rocquart undertook the reconstruction of the abbey, but a fire in 1759 severely damaged the buildings. After the Revolution, the abbey's property was sold as national property.

The present church, built of stone, houses 18th century furniture, including a pulpit and stalls of 1745. It was famous for its twenty-seven stained glass windows, made by Jean Besseyrias between 1874 and 1876, and its organ, built by Gaston Maille in 1886. The latter, considered one of the most beautiful in Dordogne, has undergone several restorations, notably in 1978, 1999 and 2014-2015.

Among the remarkable elements, a carved panel depicting La Cène, inspired by a work by Nicolas Poussin, was inscribed as historical monuments in 1979. This sign, probably commissioned after 1687, illustrates the artistic and religious importance of the building. The church, dedicated to Saint Sulpice, remains a major architectural and historical testimony of the region.

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