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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Georges de Meyraguet, located in Lacave in the Lot, finds its origins in an ancient mention: the villa of Meyraguet is evoked around 930 in the will of Adhémar, Viscount des Échelles, whose liberalities favored the abbey Saint-Martin de Tulle. The first tangible proof of the church appeared in 1105, in a bubble of Pope Pascal II. Its portal, the oldest part, probably dates from this Romanesque era, while the bell tower-wall seems to have been added later, before the second half of the 12th century, period at which the nave was built.

In the 15th century, the church underwent transformations related to the Cluzel family. In 1462 the knight Annet de Cluzel, lord of the Treyne, marked the building of his coat of arms, visible on the vault key of the northeast chapel. A 16th-century layman, representing a member of this family in armor, testifies to their influence. The southwest chapel, later added, and the vault of the nave, made in 1880-1886 by the family of Cardaillac (owner of the Treyne castle), illustrate post-medieval changes. Their weapons also adorn the vault keys.

Ranked a historic monument in 1912, the church still reveals secrets during recent restorations: in 2011, three liters of burial were rediscovered, including that of Jean de La Ramière, lord of Meyraguet in 1607. The fire of the north-east chapel, added in 1952 to house a sarcophagus formerly placed in the nave, concludes to highlight its turbulent history, between Romanesque heritage, Gothic modifications and modern embellishments. The absence of a classical liturgical orientation and the presence of defensive elements (clocher-mur) recall its anchoring in a territory marked by medieval conflicts.

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