Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Priory of Cayac, founded in the 13th century in Gradignan, was a prieuré hospital located on Via Turonensis, one of the major roads of the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela. Built on an ancient Roman way, it included a church (1210–1230 for the lower parts, 1310–1320 for the elevation), a hospital (1229), a cemetery, and agricultural outbuildings (moulin, barn, stable). A vault probably linked the buildings to facilitate the reception of pilgrims and patients during the services. The whole, transformed into a priory in 1304, became a land property exploited by serfs, thanks to successive donations.

In 1618, the site passed to the Chartreux de Bordeaux, which built a castle in the 17th century on the site of the primitive hospital, as well as a second smaller hospital. The decline began in the 18th century with the scarcity of pilgrims and the cessation of religious services. After the Revolution, the priory was sold as a national good (1791), then transformed into an industrial glass factory (1823–60), before briefly sheltering Jehovah's Witnesses (1975–1981). During the Second World War, the Italian army used it as a repair shop.

Ranked Historic Monument in 1937, then in 1987 and 2022, the priory was acquired by the city of Gradignan in 1979–1988. Archaeological excavations (1982–1983) and restorations allowed its preservation. Today, he returns to his hospital vocation by welcoming pilgrims (455 in 2011) and houses a museum dedicated to the painter Georges de Sonneville. The site, animated by exhibitions and a cottage, thus perpetuates its link with the jacquarian tradition.

The church, 20 meters long with a nave and two collaterals, could accommodate 200 people, a remarkable figure for the time. The side façades were renovated in 2013. A statue of a bronze pilgrim, by Danielle Bigata (1997), and orangery transformed into a museum of fine arts (2005) complete the site, while the banks of the Bourde Water provide a peaceful setting for walkers.

Historical sources, such as the Bordeaux Varieties by Abbé Baurein (1785), attest to its importance. The priory illustrates the evolution of places of worship and reception, marking both the religious, economic (glass) and heritage history of the Gironde.

Future

The Cayac site is still a living place. Today the Priory of Cayac has regained its primary function since it welcomes again pilgrims on the way to St Jacques de Compostelle.

The hospital tradition of Cayac is restored, thanks to a reception structure (restaurant room, kitchen, dormitory) allowing to receive the new pilgrims.

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