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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Noailhac church, located in the Tarn in Occitanie, finds its origins in the 12th century on the banks of the Durenque. Originally parish church, it was transformed into a cathedral chapter in 1317, incorporating two annexes: Saint-Michel-de-Perrin (1569) and Saint-Salvi-de-la-Balme (1682). A chapel was founded there in 1546. The building, marked by funerary liters (disappeared) after the death of Count de Castres in 1666, also housed a consular bench established in 1728. Its original architecture was partially preserved despite work campaigns in the 15th and 19th centuries.

The 12th century Romanesque porch, classified as a historical monument in 1972, is the only major vestige of the medieval building. The modifications of the 19th century joined a neo-Roman bell tower, while the interior preserves a wooden vault dating from the wars of religion and trompe-l'oeil decorations (1835-1845) attributed to the Italian workshop Ceroni. The church also houses eleven stained glass windows (1850-1898), made by master glassmakers of Puy-en-Velay and Toulouse, some of which bear the coat of arms of the Barbara de Labelotterie de Boisseson family.

Father Pistre, parish priest of Noailhac from 1946 to 1980, marked the local history by founding a rugby team for young people and promoting interfaith openness (Catholic-Protestant marriage). His sporting and social commitment, coupled with his past as a player at SC Albi, earned him a lasting reputation. It is buried in the village and embodies the transition between religious heritage and modern community life.

The planned restorations aim to preserve degraded stained glass windows and hybrid architectural elements, mixing Romanesque dissymmetry and neo-Roman additions. The building, a communal property, remains a symbol of the religious and artistic evolution of the region, between medieval heritage and contemporary transformations.

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