Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Occitanie
  4. Lot
  5. 46190 Sousceyrac-en-Quercy

  6. Church of Saint Martin de Sousceyrac

Church of Saint Martin de Sousceyrac dans le Lot

Lot

Church of Saint Martin de Sousceyrac

    6 Rue Neuve
    46190 Sousceyrac-en-Quercy
Photo de Church of Saint Martin de Sousceyrac
Crédit photo

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1300
…
1800
1900
2000
XIIe siècle
Foundation of Benedictine Priory
1864
Beginning of chorus work
1864-1900
Neo-Gothic reconstruction
28 mai 1914
Church Consecration
1924
Installation of commemorative bells
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Martin de Tours - Holy patron Dedication of the church and priory.
Abbé Ladoux - Initiator of work (1864) Get the ground for the current choir.
Famille La Roussilhe - Local patrons Partially financed the reconstruction (gifts, stone).
M. Piales-d’Astrez - Mayor of Sousceyrac (1864-1876) Supervised the first phases of construction.
Abbé Vayssié - Curé (1888-1897) Directed the construction of the bell tower.
Pierre-Célestin Cézerac - Bishop of Cahors Consacra church in 1914.

Origin and history

The church of Saint Martin de Sousceyrac, dedicated to Martin de Tours, finds its origins in a Benedictine priory of the 12th century, dependent on the Abbey of Figeac and then that of Maurs. Few remains remain, except for a nearby facade with a Romanesque door and a pre-gothic geminied bay. The Priory, protected by the Lord of Calmont d'Olt, played a central role in the parish.

The present building replaces a post-war Gothic church of Religion, partially destroyed during the Hundred Years War. This old church, oriented and equipped with side chapels, gradually collapsed. His structure, visible until 1864, was replaced by an ambitious reconstruction initiated by Abbé Ladoux, financed by local donations and loans.

The construction ran from 1864 to 1900, with marked stages: the choir and the first span (1864-1865), the chapels (1876), the roof and the sacristy (1888), and the nave and the bell tower (1896-1900). The parishioners, like the La Roussilhe and Piales-d-Astrez families, actively contributed, offering materials, stained glass and furniture. The consecration took place in 1914 by the bishop of Cahors.

The neo-Gothic architecture, with a vaulted nave and a false transept, incorporates defensive elements (massive foothills) and stained glass windows from the Gesta and Lagaye workshops. The furniture of the 19th century, although partially disappeared, includes statues, a 17th century baroque altarpiece in the crypt, and historical bells, including one of 1761.

The memoirs of Mayor Piales d'Astrez reveal the technical challenges, such as the foundations dug 4 metres in the old ditch, and the local tensions faced with the cost of the works. Archaeological discoveries (currency, bones, Romanesque capital) attest to an ancient religious occupation dating back at least to the twelfth century.

Today, Saint Martin's church remains a symbol of local heritage, mixing medieval heritage and modern reconstructions, in the heart of a parish grouping including several villages in Quercy.

External links

Page Wikipedia