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Origin and history

The Protestant temple of Fleix is a religious building located in a pavilion of the old castle of Fleix, in the commune of Le Fleix, Dordogne. This Renaissance castle, built between 1612 and 1633 by Frédéric de Foix-Gurson, replaced a first castle where the "peace of the Fleix" was signed in 1580, ending the seventh religious war between Henri de Navarre and the Duke of Anjou. The present temple, installed in this pavilion, was given to the Protestant community in 1805 and set up for worship in 1806.

Pastoral acts attest to the first religious reforms in Fleix in 1560, with official recognition in 1587. A first temple, located at the entrance of the village, was demolished after the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685, despite its transformation into a chapel. The Protestant Consistory was reconstituted in 1756. The castle, sold as a national property during the Revolution, was acquired by Pierre Imbert, a Protestant, who gave it to the community in 1805.

The temple underwent major restorations in 1898-1899, before being listed for historical monuments in 1968. Closed in 2014 due to its degraded condition, it partially collapsed in 2019. A restoration campaign, started in 2023, aims to rehabilitate it at an estimated cost of almost half a million euros.

The castle of Fleix, of which this pavilion remains, was an imposing ensemble with house bodies, gallery, chapel and enclosure. He played a key role in the wars of Religion, hosting negotiations between Catholics and Protestants. Today, the temple bears witness to this turbulent history and the persistence of Protestant worship in the region.

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