Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-Julien de Vazerac, located in Tarn-et-Garonne on Via Podiensis, finds its origins in the 12th century under the impulse of the monks of the Abbey of Moissac (order of Cluny). Built between 1106 and 1134 on top of the old marshes of the Lupte, it served as a stage for the pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela. Without a bell tower at the beginning, in 1264 it was attached to the archiprired of Neveggios (the bishopric of Cahors) and renamed Saint-Julien-l-Hospitalier with the creation of hospitality for travellers.

Between the 14th and 17th centuries, the region, torn by the Hundred Years War and then the Wars of Religion, saw the church destroyed and rebuilt several times. In 1430, a bell tower was added to protect the nascent village of Bazaraco (future Vazerac), formed around the sanctuary. The major reconstruction of the seventeenth century pierced the Romanesque walls to add chapels and install a godron bentier, still visible today. The building, confiscated from the Revolution, has since belonged to the commune and was listed as a historical monument in 1978.

Architecturally, the church combines Romanesque elements (full cintre, original nave) with Gothic additions (dogive cross) and classical ones (pediment door, polylobed rose). Its bell tower, rectangular tower with two floors, preserves traces of a truncated staircase. The nave, lined with lateral chapels with irregular arcades, ends with a five-sided bedside decorated with stained glass windows. After its renovation (roof), it now includes the parish complex of Lafrançaise, under the diocese of Montauban.

Its history reflects the upheavals of Quercy, a border area between Catholic and Protestant influences. The monks of Moissac, the bishopric of Cahors, then the commune of Vazerac marked its evolution, between religious function, defensive role and pilgrim heritage. The stained glass windows, the 17th century bentier and the lateral chapels bear witness to these successive strata.

External links