Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Protestant Temple of Caussade, located 23 rue Clément-Marot, is an emblematic place of worship of the local reformed community. The parish, a member of the United Protestant Church of France, is part of a historical tradition marked by persecution and resistance. Its architecture, with a basilical plane, combines bricks and stonework, reflecting regional influences and the evolution of religious practices after the Revolution.

From 1509, Caussade was linked to major Protestant figures: Marguerite de Valois-Angoulême, sister of François I, then his daughter Jeanne d'Albret, Calvinist, and Henri IV. In 1562, the city became a Protestant security post under the influence of Montauban. During the Wars of Religion, it underwent the siege of the troops of Richelieu, and its fortifications were razed on the order of Louis XIII. These conflicts illustrate tensions between Catholics and Huguenots, with lasting repercussions on the local community.

Under the Old Regime, Protestants in Caussade were persecuted, pushing some into exile, such as magistrate Pierre du Calvet, who was based in Quebec. Pastor François Rochette, trained in Lausanne, organized clandestine cults (in the Desert) before being arrested in 1761 after a night celebration in Bioule. Imprisoned at the castle of Caussade, his fate fits into the context of the Calas case. The glassmakers Henri, Jean and Joachim de Grenier, trying to release him, were condemned and executed in 1762 by the Toulouse Parliament.

Freedom of worship, acquired after the French Revolution (1789), allows Protestants in Caussade to formalize their place of prayer. A barn was built as a temple in 1779, before a new building was built in 1875 under the concordat regime. The architect Marie Camille Léopold Gardelle, diocesan of Montauban, draws up the plans. Today, the temple belongs to the parish of Bas-Quercy, perpetuating a legacy marked by resistance and faith.

External links