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Origin and history

The Saint George's Church of Camboulas, located at Pont-de-Salars in Aveyron, is a 12th century Romanesque building. It is distinguished by its fortified arcade bell tower and its location overlooking the gorges of the Viaur. A fragment of tympanum, representing the Christ-Juge, adorns the portal and comes from the old cathedral of Rodez, collapsed in 1276. This tympanum, stylistically close to that of Conques, is considered one of the oldest monumental last judgments.

Originally, the site housed a priory founded in 1060 by the monks of the abbey Saint-Victor of Marseille. The eardrum was said to have been saved from the rubble of Rodez Cathedral by a workman canon linked to the community of Saint Georges. Around the church, sarcophagi dug into the rock, dating from the 6th and 10th centuries, testify to an ancient occupation. A 16th century oratory, built in 1545 by Étienne Bessière, is nearby.

A local legend tells that Saint Georges, bishop of Lodève and native of Rodez, crossed the gorges of the Viaur on horseback to escape the Saracens, leaving the imprint of the hooves of his mount on a rock under the church. This account explains the foundation of the priory in the twelfth century on this site, probably an ancient pagan place of worship. The fortified bell tower also reflects the defensive needs of the time.

The building is surrounded by a variety of historical elements, such as the sarcophagus and the 1545 oratory, whose pillars bear the arms of Raymond Fredaud, canon worker of Rodez Cathedral. These details illustrate the close links between Saint-Georges de Camboulas and the religious and architectural history of Rouergue.

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